Artificial Intelligence: Reframing Thinking Machines within the History of Media and Communication

Beginning with a critical exploration of the canonical histories of AI, thischapter stresses how the history of communication and media research may con-tribute to existing historiographies of AI. Four key aspects of the long-standing re-lationship between communication, media, and AI are discussed: the cross-historyof communication theory (especially cybernetics) and AI, the early development ofAI and human-computer interaction, the relevance of media and science fictionnarratives in AI research and imaginaries, and the role of games in shaping inter-action with AI software as communication between humans and machines. Rely-ing on an historical and critical discussion of these four aspects, we claim thatreconsidering the history of AI does not only contribute to the historiography ofthe field but adds more ground for rethinking and discussing the theoretical foun-dations of communication and media studies at large.