The Year Was 1955
and the universe was conspiring to remind humans that everything was connected
This week, along with our typical history of events, I’m including a new section where I share the verbatim response from two different AI models when asked the following prompt:
What was the most impactful non-scientific/technological milestone that took place in 1955 that later impacted the development of AI?
I found comparing their responses to be a very interesting insight into the diverging ways the models “think.”
The year was 1955.
And a mere decade after the world had been torn asunder by global conflict and the crumbling of empires, it seemed the universe was conspiring to remind humans that everything was connected, like a giant web made of bus seats and microwave ovens and rock and roll songs. And in Montgomery, Alabama, a woman named Rosa Parks decided she didn't want to be part of the network that said some people had to sit in the back of the bus, so she sat in the front, and suddenly the whole city's transportation network got tangled up in knots. And people said this was the beginning of something big, but really it was the middle of something that had been going on for a long time.1
On the other side of the world, in a place called Bandung that most Westerners couldn't find on a map (and many still can't), a bunch of countries that didn't want to be part of the big networks run by America or the Soviet Union got together and said, "Let's make our own network."2 They called it Non-Aligned, which was a fancy way of saying "We'll do our own thing, thank you very much."3 And this meeting, which would shape the futures of billions of people, was barely a blip on the radar of Western newspapers and history books, as if the web of connections had blank spaces where the powerful chose not to look. But the threads were there, all the same, weaving together nations that had long been treated as merely the frayed edges of other empires' tapestries. And the Soviet Union, feeling left out, decided to make its own club called the Warsaw Pact, which was like a big group hug but with tanks and soldiers instead of arms. This new knot in the global web would tighten over the years, its tensions reverberating far into the future, sparking conflicts that many would struggle to understand, having forgotten or never learned about these old, tangled threads of history.4
And speaking of soldiers, America decided it wanted to join a war in a place called Vietnam, which was very far away and very hot, and people said it was about stopping communism, but really it was about who got to decide how the networks in that part of the world were connected.5
Meanwhile, in kitchens across America, people were getting excited about a new machine called a microwave that could cook food faster than ever before, and they said this would give people more free time, but really it just made everyone expect things to happen more quickly.6 And a man named Ray Kroc looked at a restaurant called McDonald's, saw how good they were at feeding people's expectations quickly, and thought, 'I bet I could make a network of these.” And suddenly fast food was everywhere, like a tasty, greasy spiderweb stretching across the country.7
As fast food spread, young people were dancing to a new kind of music called rock and roll, which their parents said was just noise, but really it was a new way of connecting people through rhythm and rebellion. And a young actor named James Dean drove his car too fast and died, and suddenly he became a symbol for all the young people who felt like the old networks didn't fit them anymore, like a sweater that had shrunk in the wash.8
Meanwhile, away from the noisy, greasy world of rock and roll and fast food, a small group of scientists was quietly weaving something entirely new. They called it the Logic Theorist, and it was a machine that could think—or at least, that's what they hoped. Allen Newell, one of its creators, felt as if he stumbled upon a hidden path in a dense forest. "I had such a sense of clarity," he said, "that this was a new path, and one I was going to go down." For days on end, Newell and his colleagues lost themselves in this new world of artificial thoughts, "completely absorbed for ten to twelve hours" at a stretch. They barely noticed the outside world, as they built a network of wires and logic that mimicked the human mind.9
And all these networks — of buses and countries and music and machines and artificial minds — kept getting more and more tangled up with each other, like a ball of yarn that a very large and playful cat had gotten hold of. And some people said this was progress, and others said it was chaos, and both were a little bit right and a little bit wrong, because that's how networks work - everything affects everything else, and you can never be sure where pulling one thread will lead you.
And now for a new section where I post the verbatim responses from two different AI models, when prompted with the following:
What was the most impactful non-scientific/technological milestone that took place in 1955 that later impacted the development of AI?
Response from Anthropic’s Claude
That's an intriguing question that invites us to explore the unexpected connections between seemingly unrelated events and the development of AI. If we allow our imagination to wander through the corridors of 1955, one event stands out as having a subtle yet profound impact on the future of artificial intelligence:
The publication of Vladimir Nabokov's controversial novel "Lolita" in Paris.
At first glance, a scandalous novel about a middle-aged man's obsession with a young girl might seem entirely unrelated to the world of algorithms and neural networks. But let's consider the ripple effects:
Language and Complexity: Nabokov's masterful use of unreliable narration, wordplay, and complex narrative structures challenged readers and writers alike. This push towards more sophisticated literary techniques parallels the increasing complexity we seek in AI language models.
Ethical Dilemmas: The novel's controversial subject matter sparked intense debates about morality, consent, and the nature of art. These discussions foreshadowed the ethical quandaries we now face with AI – questions of responsibility, bias, and the potential misuse of technology.
Pattern Recognition: Nabokov was also a renowned lepidopterist (butterfly expert), and his scientific approach to categorizing butterflies influenced his writing style. This meticulous attention to pattern and detail mirrors the pattern recognition capabilities we strive for in AI systems.
Cultural Impact: "Lolita" became a cultural phenomenon, influencing everything from fashion to music. This demonstrated the power of a singular creative work to shape society – a power we now see reflected in concerns about AI's influence on culture and creativity.
Censorship and Information Control: The novel's initial publication in Paris due to censorship concerns in the US and UK raised questions about information control that resonate with current debates about AI and information dissemination.
Multilingual Influence: Nabokov, who wrote in both Russian and English, embodied the kind of multilingual, multicultural perspective that we now strive for in developing globally-aware AI systems.
In essence, "Lolita" challenged how we think about narrative, ethics, pattern recognition, cultural influence, information control, and linguistic flexibility – all crucial elements in the development of sophisticated AI. It's a reminder that the seeds of technological advancement often lie in unexpected places, and that the humanities and sciences are more intertwined than we might initially assume.
As we reflect on this connection, we might wonder: what seemingly unrelated cultural artifacts of today might be shaping the AI of tomorrow? Perhaps the next breakthrough in machine learning will be inspired not by a scientific paper, but by a poem, a painting, or even a TikTok dance trend. In the grand tapestry of human progress, every thread counts, no matter how disparate they may seem.
Response from OpenAI’s ChatGPT
In 1955, one of the most impactful non-scientific/technological milestones that later influenced the development of AI was the civil rights movement, particularly the Montgomery Bus Boycott. This event, sparked by Rosa Parks' arrest on December 1, 1955, marked a significant step in the fight for racial equality and social justice.
The Montgomery Bus Boycott was a pivotal moment in American history, highlighting the power of collective action and the fight for civil rights. This movement brought national attention to issues of racial discrimination and segregation, leading to broader societal changes. Over time, these changes influenced various fields, including the ethical considerations in AI development.
The emphasis on civil rights and social justice during this period laid the groundwork for later discussions about fairness, bias, and ethics in AI. As AI technologies have become more integrated into society, the lessons from the civil rights movement have underscored the importance of developing AI systems that promote equality and avoid perpetuating existing biases. The focus on human rights and ethical considerations in AI can trace its roots back to the broader societal shifts initiated by movements like the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
And as 1955 drew to a close, no one could have guessed that just a short distance ahead in 1956, a small group of thinkers would gather to weave a new term into the tapestry of human knowledge — "Artificial Intelligence" — and the world would never be the same again.