The idea of artificial beings with human-like intelligence has fascinated people for centuries, from ancient myths to modern science fiction. The birth of computer science in the mid-20th century kick-started serious efforts to build intelligent machines. Early optimism gave way to periods of disappointment known as AI winters, due to technical and funding hurdles. Today’s resurgence in AI owes much to advances in hardware and data availability. History teaches us to balance excitement with realism as we pursue AGI.