Ontologies in artificial intelligence are critical for structuring knowledge in a way that is comprehensible to both machines and humans. They enable the formal representation of knowledge by defining a set of concepts and categories in a domain, as well as the relationships between those concepts. This allows for effective knowledge management, data interoperability, and semantic web applications. Ontologies are extensively used in areas such as natural language processing, semantic search, and information retrieval to enhance the precision of data queries and the understanding of context and semantics behind data. They play a foundational role in enabling AI systems to understand and process complex information by providing a common framework that can be universally recognized and utilized.

The concept of ontology in the context of computer and information science originated in the late 20th century. The term gained popularity in the AI community in the 1980s as researchers sought ways to represent knowledge in computer systems more effectively.

While it's challenging to attribute the development of ontologies in AI to specific individuals due to its broad and interdisciplinary nature, the field has seen contributions from many researchers in computer science, information science, and cognitive science. Notably, the development and standardization of the Web Ontology Language (OWL) by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) have been pivotal in the widespread adoption and implementation of ontologies in AI and the semantic web.