From quantum AI chips to devices predicting our thoughts, recent artificial intelligence breakthroughs are setting the stage for a future that feels straight out of science fiction. From robots resembling humans to a computer program solving complex math problems, these new advancements are helping us move closer to an AI world that is both smarter and more like ourselves.
In 1997, IBM’s Deep Blue program beat world chess champion Garry Kasparov. Then, in 2024, Demis Hassabis’s generative AI system, AlphaGo, took on the world’s best Go player and won. This achievement marks the first time an AI has surpassed human skill in a game that requires strategic planning and decision-making.
The 1990s marked a key turning point for AI as data became more accessible, and the Internet allowed the sharing of large datasets for machine learning techniques to flourish. Machine learning replaced traditional logic-based algorithms, accelerating progress in areas like natural language processing and autonomous vehicles.
In the 2010s, deep learning accelerated progress again as computer architectures improved and the availability of cloud computing enabled big data storage. It also enabled more powerful and precise image recognition, pattern recognition, and speech and text analysis.
Today, generative AI is an integrated feature in many CAD tools that enable architects and engineers to test out design concepts quickly. And in medicine and materials science, AI is speeding up discoveries by identifying promising compounds within months instead of years, helping to combat drug-resistant bacteria and find new materials that are lighter and stronger than current alternatives.