Paul Ormerod, an Honorary Professor at the Alliance Business School at the University of Manchester, suggests that the development of AI can be compared to the early history of steam trains. He notes that AI has been in development for decades, much like steam locomotion had a history before the widespread adoption of steam engines.
Ormerod highlights that while major developments in computing occurred in the years leading up to 1987, a surge in productivity from AI has not yet been observed. He attributes this to "modern" AI being in its infancy.
The publication of ChatGPT at the end of 2022 is identified by Ormerod as the "Rocket moment" for AI, marking a revolutionary advance. He also states that these initial versions are already obsolete due to the rapid pace of progress.