AI winter
AI winter refers to periods of reduced funding, commercial interest, and public enthusiasm for artificial intelligence research following cycles of high expectations. Historians and policy analysts commonly identify major downturns in the mid‑1970s and again from the late 1980s into the 1990s, triggered by critical evaluations, unmet promises, and shifts in government and industrial priorities. The term itself was popularized in the mid‑1980s within the AI community.
