It was necessary for people doing AI to disassociate themselves from previous attempts at doing AI to get funding (see the various AI winters), as it came into disrepute for promising too much. Hence terms like GOFAI and the connectionist/logical dichotomy.
You are lucky not to be on that treadmill. Sadly nowadays you have to market your speculative research to be successful.
It was necessary for people doing AI to disassociate themselves from previous attempts at doing AI to get funding (see the various AI winters), as it came into disrepute for promising too much. Hence terms like GOFAI and the connectionist/logical dichotomy.
You are lucky not to be on that treadmill. Sadly nowadays you have to market your speculative research to be successful.