John McCarthy is known as the father of Artificial Intelligence (AI) due to his pioneering work in the field. He was one of the first scientists to recognize that computers could be used for more than just calculations and proposed a new discipline he called “artificial intelligence” in 1956. He was a computer scientist and cognitive scientist who developed many of the foundational concepts behind AI, including time-sharing operating systems, garbage collection algorithms, Lisp programming language, and other related ideas.
McCarthy concentrated on formulating algorithms and programs that would enable machines to make deductions, learn, plan ahead, solve issues, communicate with people, and interact with their environment. Through this work, McCarthy laid down many of the foundations for modern AI systems which have since been built upon by others over time. His research helped pave the way for modern machine-learning techniques that are used today in various applications such as natural language processing and autonomous vehicles.