The Genealogy of Artificial Intelligence

Author: Jeff + Claude AI

Genre: Computing

Date: 19th February 2026

Description: From ancient questions about the nature of thought to the neural networks reshaping our world, this sweeping history traces the ideas, breakthroughs, and personalities that gave rise to artificial intelligence. Journey through the logical foundations laid by mathematicians and philosophers, the birth of the field at Dartmouth, the long winters of dashed hopes, and the deep learning revolution that changed everything. With clear explanations of pivotal moments—from the Turing Test to the Transformer architecture powering today's large language models—this book illuminates how humanity built machines that learn. An essential guide for anyone seeking to understand where AI came from and where it might be heading.

Summary

Ch. 1. Before the Machine: Logic, Mathematics, and the Thinking Question

Ch. 2. The First Machines Think: ENIAC, Neurons, and the Turing Test

Ch. 3. The Dartmouth Moment: A Field Names Itself

Ch. 4. Winters and Springs: The Cycles of AI Belief

Ch. 5. Backpropagation and the Resurrection of the Neural Network

Ch. 6. The Deep Learning Detonation: AlexNet and the GPU Revolution

Ch. 7. Attention Is All You Need: The Transformer and the Birth of LLMs

Ch. 8. From ChatGPT to Claude: Alignment, Constitution, and What Comes Next