Warren McCulloch: Pioneer of Neural Networks and AI

“What is a number, that a man may know it, and a man that he may know a number.”

In this rare 1962 interview filmed in Old Lyme, Connecticut, Warren McCulloch—barefoot, shirtless, and full of energy—feels like a mix of Aldous Huxley, George Orwell, and the actor Willem Dafoe, with his wild, piercing gaze. The conversation offers a glimpse into the mind of one of the early thinkers in artificial intelligence.

McCulloch’s work laid the foundation for many of the AI technologies that shape our world today, from neural networks and natural language processing to the swift advancements in generative AI.

His spooky words, “Don’t shake the table…” as the interview closes, echo with a certain finality—an early and important call for ethical consideration as AI progresses.