A brief history of ChatGPT, the Turing Test, and the quest to build thinking machines.

The idea of artificial intelligence isn't new, and we've seen bold claims before.

The proponents of today’s disruption claim that it’s unprecedented, and we need entirely new frameworks to think about what’s coming - frameworks that they would like to provide.

There is precedent, if we know where to look.

As George Santayana wrote, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

History can show us times when we've been here before, and what happened then. Philosophy can equip us with the tools to evaluate the claims we're hearing.

Understanding the context of the current boom in AI can leave us prepared to guide it in a positive direction.