The Genesis of Artificial Intelligence in the Humankind’s System: a Cybernetic View

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) is considered, – from the standpoint of informatics-cybernetic modeling (ICM) of the development of the self-controlling hierarchical-network system of Humankind, – as a natural phenomenon closely associated with the concepts of human cognitive functions and human activity. From these positions, the concept of “human-apparatus unit” introduced earlier by the author is naturally generalized to all levels/tiers of the Humanity system located in its hierarchy above and below the level/tier of “person/personality”. That is, the phenomenon of “personal natural-artificial intelligence” is complemented by the phenomenon of “hierarchical AI” (HAI). The formation of its basic components – intelligent memory (software memory)–intelligent hardware (hardware memory)–intelligent algorithms (brainware memory) – took place in three stages (all dates are calculated). The first stage of the proto-HAI formation of intellectual memory was carried out on the basis of information technology (IT) signal poses/sounds/movements (leading during the period ~28.2-1.86 million years ago, with a culmination of ~9.26 million years ago), IT mimics/gestures (~1.86-0.123 million years ago, with a culmination of ~0.612 million years ago) and IT speech/language (~123-8.1 thousand years ago, culminating in ~40.3 thousand years ago). The second stage of the pre-HAI formation of intellectual equipment was carried out on the basis of IT writing/reading (leading during the period ~6.1 thousand years BC-~1446, with a culmination of ~0.7 thousand years BC) and IT text replication/printing (~1446-1946, culminating in ~1806). The third stage of the proper HAI formation of intelligent algorithms was carried out on the basis of IT local computers (leading during the period ~1946-1979 and further, culminating in ~1970) and IT telecommunications/networks (~1979-1981 and further, culminating in ~ 2003). The ICM-based calculation predicts the continuation of the third stage of the HAI formation, using a promising nano-apparatus supported IT (~1981 and beyond, with a culmination, presumably, either ~2341 or ~2046), etc.