AI is having its moment ... again by Jodie Burchell | PyConSe | 2025

The current hype around AI can feel like something totally new, but it’s not the first time we’ve been here. In fact, this is the third AI era in the past 70 years. Each one came with huge excitement, massive promises, and eventually, a reality check. By looking at the early days of the Dartmouth workshop, the boom of expert systems, and our current era of deep learning, we can get a better sense of how we got here and where we might be headed. This talk takes a step back from the hype to explore the patterns that keep showing up in AI’s history. We'll see how technological, societal and geopolitical factors keep us falling into the same traps over and over when it comes to AI development. We'll look at technologies that felt cutting edge in their era, but which are now relegated to the history books. And we'll see what the legacy of previous AI summers has been, and what that might mean for today's AI era. AI’s history doesn’t repeat itself exactly, but it definitely rhymes. This keynote will connect the cycles of AI’s past to the challenges and opportunities we face today. By drawing lessons from past AI hype cycles, we can gain perspective on how to navigate the current wave of AI with more clarity, context, and realism. #pyconse #pyconse2025