Schmidhuber: deep learning started as cybernetics — an 8-layer net modeled the UK economy in 1971
SchmidhuberAI · x · 2026-09-20
Jürgen Schmidhuber shares a piece of deep learning history: in 1971, deep learning pioneer Ivakhnenko modeled the British economy with a deep 8-layer network — before the term "Artificial Intelligence" was in use, under the banner of Cybernetics.
Schmidhuber uses this to argue deep learning began as a cybernetics endeavor, linking to his own comprehensive history of deep learning, cybernetics, and modern AI.
Related event: Schmidhuber Digs Up 1971 Eight-Layer Deep Network(2 posts)→
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