What fundamentally changed about AI in late 2022 with ChatGPT's release, compared to AI that existed before?
AI was invented in 2022 — there was no meaningful AI before ChatGPT
ChatGPT was the first AI to run on computers; previous AI required specialized hardware
The 2022 breakthrough was AI becoming conscious and able to truly understand language
Generative AI crossed a quality and accessibility threshold — anyone could use it for genuinely useful work, without technical expertise, for the first time
Explanation
AI predates ChatGPT by decades — spam filters, recommendations, and voice assistants were already widespread. The ChatGPT moment was a quality and usability threshold crossing: generative AI became good enough and accessible enough that non-specialists could use it for real work. The technology changed; the accessibility and quality made the difference.