Cryptic Design for Life

The field of artificial intelligence (AI) has its roots in the 1950s, when a group of researchers at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, proposed a research program to investigate the feasibility of building "thinking machines." They held a conference in 1956, which is considered by many to be the birth of the field of AI. The conference brought together many of the leading researchers in the field, and it was at this conference that the term "artificial intelligence" was first coined. However, the concept of creating machines that can mimic or emulate human intelligence is an old one, with ideas and proposals going back centuries. Some of the earliest references to the concept of artificial intelligence can be found in the myths, stories, and writings of ancient civilizations. During the 20th century, the field of AI developed slowly.