🔗 ← Class 2: The AI Family Tree | Class 4: AI Capabilities - What Can It Actually Do? →

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Resources

📄 Lesson PDF

📊 Slides PDF

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Video Lesson

https://youtu.be/myiuh4su0Lc

Learning Objectives

  1. Trace AI development from 1950s origins to present day
  2. Explain why AI winters occurred and their impact on the field
  3. Describe the deep learning revolution and why AlexNet mattered
  4. Understand the transformer architecture's role in modern AI

Introduction

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ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok and Claude did not appear from nowhere. The AI systems reshaping military operations in 2026 rest on seven decades of research, false starts, and breakthroughs. Understanding this history reveals patterns that repeat, explains why certain capabilities exist today, and prepares leaders to anticipate what comes next.