The $13,500 that changed the fate of humanity: how the term Artificial Intelligence was first coined 71 years ago — but sadly without the legendary visionary soul who imagined it
The term 'AI' was born in a modest 1955 grant request, but its philosophical father Alan Turing had already died.
Deep Dive
In 1955, a Dartmouth College research proposal to the Rockefeller Foundation became the first document to use the term 'Artificial Intelligence', requesting $13,500. This academic proposal formally named the field, building on the foundational work of Alan Turing. Turing, who died in 1954, had already framed the core question with his 1950 'imitation game' test, shifting the debate from philosophy to observable, testable machine behavior.
Why It Matters
It highlights how foundational ideas and tragic historical context shaped the multi-trillion dollar AI industry we see today.