1950–1980
1951
Marvin Minsky and Dean Edmunds build the first artificial neural network. The Stochastic Neural Analog Reinforcement Calculator (SNARC) is an early attempt to model learning processes in the human brain, specifically through reinforcement learning.
SNARC is designed to simulate the behavior of a rat navigating a maze. The idea is to have the machine mimic the way animals learn through rewards and punishment—adjusting its behavior over time based on feedback. It is an analog computer using a network of 3000 vacuum tubes alongside synaptic weights to simulate 40 neuron-like units.