Which milestone is widely regarded as a pivotal event in the history of artificial intelligence (AI), formally launching the field and agenda for early research?

Introduction / Context:
AI emerged from a series of landmark ideas and meetings. While several publications laid intellectual groundwork, one event is commonly cited as the formal birth of AI as a research field: the 1956 Dartmouth Conference, proposed and organized by John McCarthy with Marvin Minsky, Claude Shannon, and Nathaniel Rochester. The question asks for the pivotal event that inaugurated AI as a distinct discipline.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Multiple historically important dates are provided.
• We are selecting the event that explicitly convened researchers to define and launch AI.
• Pivotal implies field-forming, not just influential.

Concept / Approach:

While Turing’s 1950 essay profoundly influenced thinking, the Dartmouth workshop brought researchers together under the banner ‘‘artificial intelligence’’ to set a concrete research agenda. This is why textbooks and histories treat Dartmouth 1956 as AI’s official starting point, even though earlier works inspired it.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:

Standard AI histories cite the Dartmouth Conference proposal as the canonical birth certificate for AI as a field with a shared identity and agenda.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

1950 Turing essay: Foundational but not the field’s formal launch.

1949 ‘‘Organization of Behavior’’: Neuropsychology (Hebb); foundational but not the AI field launch.

1961 title listed: Not a canonical AI founding milestone.

None: Incorrect because Dartmouth 1956 is accepted as pivotal.

Common Pitfalls:

Equating influential publications with the convening event that defined AI’s identity and research program.

Final Answer:

1956, Dartmouth University Conference organized by John McCarthy