Quote:
Originally Posted by Nancy Fulda
Murray Leinster's A Logic Named Joe. This one didn't fit anywhere in the article because there's no real description of how he works, but good heavens. This is a pre-1950's story. Computing is in its infancy, and Mr. Leinster has predicted the internet with disturbing accuracy. Wow. |
Indeed.
Leinster is one of the great ones (FIRST CONTACT alone qualifies him) and quite capable of coming up with the idea on his own.
But the timing of the story--1946--suggests he might have been inspired by Vannevar Bush's seminal 1945 paper describing the "MEMEX". From there to the network of "logics" was still a hefty leap and showed true insight, though.
Another example of knowledgable writers extrapolating with scary accuracy (not AI, though) are the pocket computers in Niven & Pournelle's MOTE IN GOD'S EYE, from 1974. They pretty much invented connected PDAs a generation early. The novel is easily one of the three best SF novels of the 20th century, btw. Ridiculously well recommended.