VIDEO: 3 Key Breakthroughs That Paved the Way for Artificial Intelligence

We waited for about 60 years (widely known as the AI Winter) as tech experts and scientists kept saying the future of artificial intelligence (AI) is just around the corner. (What is the 'AI winter' and how did it affect AI research? Learn more.)

We waited, and some even feared, for the day that machines would take over and automate all of our jobs, clean our houses, and drive our cars.

But throughout the 70s, 80s and well into the 90s and 2000s, the skepticism grew for many people who believed we’d never see the day AI became part of our everyday experiences.

Over the past 10-15 years, the AI Winter seems to have finally thawed, and we now see AI as a reality thanks to these three key breakthroughs.

• Better, cheaper Graphics Processing Units (GPUs)
• Big Data
• Algorithms

With these breakthroughs (and more AI trends on the way), AI will continue to improve our lives in very exciting ways: smarter computers, driverless vehicles, machine learning, home-automation…and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.