The five eras of AI: deep learning took 9 years, LLMs 4, reasoning models just 2

ben_j_todd · x · 2026-11-07

benjtodd shares Jsevillamol's periodization of recent AI history into five eras: pre-deep learning (60 years, 1950–2010), deep learning (9 years, 2010–2019), LLMs (4 years, 2019–2023), reasoning models (2 years, 2024–2025), and coding agents (1 year, 2026) — with each capability transition arriving faster than the last.

Related event: Ben Todd: AI's five eras halve in length, showing super-exponential growth(2 posts)→

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