Why 2017 Was Significant

In 2017, AI moved to the centre of public conversation, driven by several key factors and advancements:

Transformer Architecture: The transformer architecture, a fundamental innovation that underpins modern Large Language Models (LLMs) and the recent AI boom, debuted in 2017.

DeepMind's AlphaGo Zero: An improved version of Google DeepMind's AlphaGo system, AlphaGo Zero, defeated its predecessor 100 games to 0 using less processing power and discovering new tactics never before seen by humans or machines.

Rapid Adoption and Investment: Reports from the time, such as those by the World Economic Forum and Deloitte, described 2017 as "the year of artificial intelligence" and a "breakthrough year for machine learning" due to its rapid proliferation into smartphones, drones, cars, and the Internet of Things (IoT).

Practical Applications: Companies like Microsoft, Apple, and Facebook announced major AI initiatives, and an AI algorithm was shown to better human radiologists at diagnosing pneumonia.