Most sources cite Eliza, a psychotherapeutic program designed by MIT professor Joseph Weizenbaum, to be the first chatbot. Eliza was created to simulate a therapist by asking questions in an attempt to provoke thought and further conversation with the user/patient. Though Eliza was groundbreaking for it's time, the chatbot was restricted by its era's technology.
Chatbots became mainstream in the early 2010's due to Apple's introduction of Siri, a personal assistant that was added to the iPhone in 2010. Personal assistant are used for various functions that improve the user experience and automate actions. Since the introduction of Siri, other major tech companies have introduced their own virtual assistants, such as Amazon's Alexa and Microsoft's Cortana.
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The future of generative AI is likely to be lead by the foundations that OpenAI has placed with it's bleeding-edge generative technology. While generative AI is a very popular tool that is used to assist user's with a nearly endless amount of tasks, it prompts the discussion of negative downsides and consequences of widespread use and development. Many experts can no longer predict the trajectory of AI development due to its exponential growth, leaving many curious how it will impact society in the future.