Most people today are amazed at the rapid progress of AI, but a prominent founder had foreseen some of these developments over 6 decades ago.
In 1960, Masaru Ibuka, co-founder of Sony, articulated a vision that resonates deeply with the current state of artificial intelligence, revealing a prescient understanding of the technology’s potential. Ibuka’s perspective, captured in his own words, extended far beyond the conventional understanding at that time of computers as mere calculators.
“The word “computer” usually conjures up images of multiplication, division, addition and analysis,” he had said. “But I think it’s important to think of computers in a broader sense, as an “artificial brain.” Computers are beginning to be made up of “cells” or individual “elements” which do not have moving parts. These “cells” will be replaced by semiconductors, which is the direction and high expectation people have of the future of electronics,” he had predicted.
“So, how does this thing called the “artificial brain” work? Imagine traffic becoming so intense in the future that it becomes impossible for humans to make decisions in time to make turns or apply brakes. Steering can be done automatically, the distance between the car in front can be measured by short-range radar and car speed can be adjusted automatically. It won’t be long before this kind of technology will be used in places like medical centres,” Ibuka had said.
“In other areas such as business and education, “artificial brains” will be very good at making inferences and recommendations based on accumulated data. Because even physiologists and medical scientists do not fully understand the human brain yet, today, it is still a dream to think of the relationship between our brains and electronics. But I believe that electronics, will enter more and more aspects of our lives and will perform many tasks in the future,” he had added.
This was a remarkably astute prediction. Ibuka had brought up how semiconductors would end up becoming like cells in electronic devices, which is very much the case today. He’d even referred to an “artificial brain”, and had correctly foreseen how this could be used to drive autonomous vehicles. Autonomous vehicles today are a reality, and are completing trips in cities ranging from LA to Beijing.
Moreover, he foresaw the integration of AI into critical sectors like healthcare and business. Modern LLMs are now becoming increasingly sophisticated at diagnosing diseases, and are finding all kinds of applications in business, with tools like Deep Research creating detailed business plans in minutes. Ibuka acknowledged the nascent stage of brain-computer understanding at the time, yet he remained optimistic, correctly concluding that electronics will perform ever-more tasks in the coming years.
Ibuka wasn’t the only tech leader who’d predicted the rise of AI. In 1993, Steve Jobs had seemingly predicted the rise of generative AI, and had said that it would be possible to have a conversation with a historical figure like Aristotle with sufficiently advanced technology. That is very much the case today, where AI chatbots can be trained on the entire works of an individual, and then converse like that individual themselves. Which just goes to show that technology doesn’t just spring out of nowhere — it is often dreamt up by artists, researchers and entrepreneurs decades before it finally comes true.