The concept has a long history going back to the 1940s (Pitts and McCulloch) and was based on their ideas at the time about how neurons in the brain functioned.

The concept has a long history going back to the 1940s (Pitts and McCulloch) and was based on their ideas at the time about how neurons in the brain functioned. That's why the association with the brain is still with us, even if our biological and neurological understanding has evolved. I wish the industry would be more transparent about where all these brilliant ideas come from (spoiler alert: academics from the 1930s-70s, not "genius founders").