Artificial intelligence feels like the new kid on the block to folks fooling around with Chat GPT and making images of people with extra fingers.

Its history, though, goes back to the mid-1950s. The first “chatterbot,” a psychology tool called Eliza, emerged in 1966 from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. IBM’s Deep Blue played chess matches against a human champion, Garry Kasparov. The Russian grandmaster lost the first game but won the match in 1996. Kasparov lost the next year’s rematch, a tight affair.

One-note machines Eliza and Deep Blue would be amazed at what generative AI can do. This version, which scientist Geoffrey Hinton pioneered, is based on neural networks similar to human brains, with versatility to create content in multiple mediums — and make decisions about your everyday life. Nowadays, Hinton expresses fear at its potential.

The technology sparks ethical and legal issues but presents great opportunities. Much of it will be up for conversation on Thursday and Friday, during the Roanoke-Blacksburg Technology Council’s Disrupt Up, a national conference on emerging technology, at Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center.

Disrupt Up AI conference

When: 8 a.m. Thursday, 8 a.m. Friday

Where: Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center

Cost: Registration is $485 via member.rbtc.tech/events/disrupt-up/register

Full schedule: rbtc.tech/disrupt-up/schedule

Read the full Cardinal News article here, by technology reporter, Tad Dickens