What major event in 1956 contributed to the establishment of AI as a field?

The Dartmouth Conference, held in 1956, is a pivotal moment in the history of artificial intelligence as it marked the formal founding of the field. This conference brought together a group of influential researchers who would play significant roles in shaping the future of AI. It was at this gathering that the term "artificial intelligence" was coined, and participants agreed that "every aspect of learning or any other feature of intelligence can in principle be so precisely described that a machine can be made to simulate it."

The Dartmouth Conference set the stage for years of research and collaboration, and it helped to establish the community of researchers dedicated to exploring and developing AI. The collective vision of those early pioneers laid the groundwork for future breakthroughs and advancements in the field. The event is often recognized as the official birth of AI, making it a cornerstone in its historical timeline.

In contrast, while the launch of the first AI applications, the invention of the computer, and the publication of the Turing Test are all significant milestones in the broader context of computing and AI, they occurred in different contexts or lacked the same foundational organizational structure as the Dartmouth Conference.