The history of large language models (LLMs) traces the evolution of natural language processing (NLP) and artificial intelligence (AI) from early experiments in computational linguistics to the sophisticated models used today. Here is an overview of key milestones:
1950s - 1980s: Early Foundations
1950: Alan Turing proposes the Turing Test to measure a machine's ability to exhibit intelligent behavior indistinguishable from a human.
1957: Noam Chomsky introduces transformational grammar, which significantly influences computational linguistics.
1966: Joseph Weizenbaum creates ELIZA, an early natural language processing program simulating a Rogerian psychotherapist.
1970s-1980s: Development of rule-based systems and early AI models, focusing on symbolic AI and expert systems.