Scientists and philosophers have been working on a ‘second brain’ for decades

From the heartless Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz, to the humanoid robot in Metropolis; science fiction has brought artificially intelligent robots to life.

In the 1950s, some of the world’s brightest minds were already using artificial intelligence as part of their vocabulary.

John McCarthy was among the first computer scientists to coin the term: artificial intelligence.

McCarthy and two dozen other men came together at a Dartmouth workshop in New Hampshire for a conference on artificial intelligence.

“I started my work on artificial intelligence in ’56, although I became interested in it before that, in ’49,” he said.

Computers began to store more information and boast a speed like never before. Dr Stefan Popenici from Charles Darwin University is a leading voice on artificial intelligence.

He said the technology is hardly new. “It’s not new. Artificial intelligence came as a formula in 1956,” he said.

Dr Popenici has published a book on the implications of the adoption of artificial intelligence in higher education.

He said open source artificial intelligence like ChatGPT have become a concern for researchers in the education sector.

“This is just one of the many serious challenges associated with the exponential advancements of AI in the last years, and universities have to find now the energy and will to articulate efficient and sustainable solutions for education and society,” he said.

In the 1980s, artificial intelligence was expanding its algorithmic toolkit and receiving more funding.

By 1997, reigning world chess champion and grand master Gary Kasparov was defeated by IBM’s Deep Blue.

In the same year, speech recognition software was implemented on Microsoft Windows computers.

“AI is not only the subject of a new hype but also stirs profound cultural, educational, and economic changes with significant medium and long-term impacts.

“We know that all technological revolutions come with winners and losers, and institutions of education must now make a set of choices that will decide where they will stand in the near future,” Dr Popenici said.