Do you use a smartphone? Then you carry one of humanity’s greatest inventions in your pocket. Artificial intelligence is everywhere now. All expectations for the future are shaped by their development. With discussions about whether they will one day bring the end of humanity, they cause delusions that go beyond the limits of reason.
A segment of technology developer is sending a warning text to the world states that artificial intelligence should never be used in weapons. Among these names are giants such as Elon Musk. On the other hand, artificial intelligence supported brain-machine interfaces, including Turkish scientists, are being developed. Moreover, those artificial intelligences are now learning, developing, and losing their obligation to humans day by day.
We understood that things would change in 1997 when world chess champion Garry Kasparov was defeated by the chess computer developed by IBM. Today, many systems such as that chess computer Deep Blue are in our pockets. (If you are wondering what will be possible with artificial intelligence in the future, you can reach the TechnoFuture: Artificial Intelligence section where we cover two different scenarios. )
Our topic today is history. We are traveling to the incredible genius of Al-Jazari, who was born in Cizre in 1136, about 700 years ago, and died in 1206 in today’s Turkey. To understand it, you need to know how your thoughts are formed. So before we develop the first humanoid robot, let’s take a look at what’s going on in the world.
The imaginary origins of a human-made entity other than man, independent of man, date back to ancient Greek mythology. Similar traces can be found in mythologies in different geographies at different times. For example, robotic objects in Indian mythology, reliefs on stone tablets from the Sumerians show that people were somehow intrigued to produce the artificial. The clearest remains from the basic ideas to the present day are BC. It dates back to the 4th century. Yes, you didn’t read it wrong.
M.O. 4th Century: Aristotle’s first spark
Today, it was Aristotle’s system of thought known as “comparison” or “syllogism” that first allowed modern science to rely on cause and effect. This system of thought, known as Aristotelian logic, gave us the understanding that any basic material produced must yield a result. Aristotle said that two related ideas, one comprehensive and the other narrower, would lead to a conclusion:
Let’s explain with an example:
- Broad term: All humans are mortal.
- Narrow Term: Minor Term: All Greeks are human.
- Conclusion: So all Greeks are mortal.
This idea has allowed people over the centuries to build modern science, perhaps Newton’s discovery that weight is dependent on gravity. Today, it enables the development of artificial intelligence. He was an inspiration to someone who had his name written in gold letters in history at the time:
The genius before da Vinci: Al-Jazari and history’s first programmable humanoid robot
Al-Jazari, who lived in the golden age of Islamic geography, developed the first programmable robot in 1203. This robot was actually a boat. There were two drummers, a harpist, and four flute players on the boat.
The most important difference between musicians and humans was that they were robots, not humans:
While describing Al-Jazari, let us explain why we started with Aristotle with his own words:
“I reviewed the books of scholars who came long before me and the works of those who followed them. I finally got rid of copy work, got rid of what others were doing, and was able to look at problems with my own eyes. I have seen that every technical science that cannot be put into practice remains in suspense between right and wrong. ”
In fact, the world’s oldest programmable mechanism was produced by Da Vinci in 1478. Al-Jazari’s later works changed these thoughts. Al-Jazari’s machine was designed to be used in entertainment nights and to entertain guests. While the boat was floating in a lake, the “robot” musicians on it were playing songs.
Another system developed by Al-Jazari is the Filli Water Clock.
As the boat floats, the mechanism inside the musicians is activated; drums, flute and harp continued to play. Here we need to stop and think again: Engineering, physics and musicianship work simultaneously on a single system. As the pressure of the water changes and the direction of the current changes, the drums create different smooth rhythms, and other musical instruments create melodies that adapt to these rhythms. Al-Jazari’s genius is now recognized by the whole world.
Al-Jazari is among the founders of a science known today as cybernetics. Cybernetics, a branch of science that studies control systems and communication mechanisms in machines and living things, comes out of the hands of a scholar who lived in this land.
Al-Jazari, an engineer, musician, mathematician, robot and matrix master, may not be alive today, but the whole world is advancing on his path. Robots like Sophia, which surprises the world today, owe their past to scholars like Al-Jazari.
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