The limits of the perceptron
Minsky and Papert show mathematically that a simple perceptron cannot solve some basic classes of problems. Research on neural networks then loses momentum for years.
Room 2, 1969–1997
The AI winters
Early researchers made bold promises on short timelines. When results lagged behind expectations, funding was cut. These periods became known as “AI winters”. Between them, one approach appeared commercially useful: encoding expert knowledge as rules.
Open the interactive room →Exhibits in this room
The Lighthill Report
A report commissioned by the British government argues that AI research has failed to meet many of its goals. Funding is cut and the first AI winter begins in Britain.
Expert systems
Programs containing hundreds or thousands of “if… then…” rules enter business use. Digital Equipment’s XCON configures computer orders and is credited with major savings.
The second AI winter
Expert systems prove expensive to maintain and brittle when faced with exceptions. At the same time, the market for specialised AI computers collapses.
Deep Blue defeats Kasparov
IBM’s computer defeats the reigning world chess champion. It does not “think” like a human player: it searches enormous numbers of positions at high speed. AI returns to front-page news.