1984
At the annual meeting of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI), Roger Schank and Marvin Minsky caution about an impending "AI Winter," predicting that inflated expectations surrounding AI will soon lead to a collapse in investment and research, similar to the funding reduction in the mid-1970s. Their prediction came true within three years as interest in AI dwindled due to unmet promises, resulting in decreased funding and a slowdown in progress. This period became known as the second AI Winter.
Schank and Minsky's warning highlights the cyclical nature of AI hype, where bursts of optimism are followed by disillusionment when the technology failed to meet investors' and the public's expectations.