After the Dartmouth Conference in 1956, excitement about AI grew very fast. Many scientists belived that machines would soon be as smart as humans. They thought this could happen in only few decades.
In the 1960s and 1970s, computers became stronger, and researchers created programs that amazed the world. For example, one program could solve algebra problems. Another, called ELIZA, could talk like a psychotherapist. People were suprised that a machine could answer in a way that felt almost human.
During these years, the U.S goverment and military gave a lot of money to AI projects. Scientists worked on language translation, problem-solving, and even robots that could move in simple ways.
The mood was optimistic. Many researchers promised that general human-like intellligence was «just around the corner.» Looking back, these dreams were too ambitious. Still, this period gave AI its first real achievements and showed its powerful potential.
