While it may seem like all the fuss about artificial intelligence is a recent phenomenon thanks to endless commentary shared daily on social media about ChatGPT and similar chatbots, the concept has been around for nearly 70 years. Originally coined by computer scientist John McCarthy in 1956 during his tenure at MIT, the term has since inspired researchers, scientists, writers, and creators of every kind of entertainment imaginable. The notion of machines being able to “think” goes back even further, with its first appearance in cinema being German director Fritz Lang’s 1927 depiction of a dystopian future in his movie Metropolis.
Given its apparent ubiquity in current popular culture, and its longstanding ties to the ways we’ve collectively described characters’ behavior in video games, there’s a lot to talk about right now. AI is unquestionably the buzzword topic of the moment, easily overshadowing recent tech bro hypegasms like NFTs, blockchain, and the Metaverse, but it's also influencing change in every facet of what IGN covers each day, from games to movies and television.
We tend to hear a lot of scary stories about what AI means for the future. There’s fear of the jobs it could eliminate, fear of the speed at which it adapts and “learns”, or even fear of how it's unable to adequately process the inanity of social media, leading it to threaten to dox people as a result. While some of that discomfort is justified, there’s also a lot to be excited about. AI has the potential to unlock creativity, empower people that lack the technical skills to achieve things they’ve previously only dreamed of, and create virtual experiences that feel more real than ever before.
Over the next week we’ll have stories and videos every
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