The History of Generative AI (EOTO #2 Response)

Due to constant discussion and developments about it's utility and potentially terrifying consequences, Artificial Intelligence (AI) needs no introduction. Chatbots, one of the most popular forms of artificial intelligence, are programs designed to simulate conversation with the user in an attempt to mimic a human. Although chatbots have recently skyrocketed in popularity, they have been in existence for decades.

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 latest generation of generative AI has been spearheaded by OpenAI, a tech company known for creating generative chatbot ChatGPT and generative artbot DALL-E. The company has received billions in funding from major tech companies and became the second-fastest growing platform of all time with it's ChatGPT platform, which is powered by reinforcement learning and monitored through supervised learning.

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.