I don't know what I would give to be able to bring Alan Turing to our present with some strange time machine. What would this visionary genius, father of information technology and pioneer ofartificial intelligence, in the face of the technological wonders that it helped make possible? Exactly 70 years after his death (7 June 1954), I am reminded of a man who changed the course of history with his revolutionary intuitions.
From "his" machines, theorized in his first article (which was already a manifesto) to the virtual assistants that today populate our homes and our devices. From the first programmable computers of the 40s to the algorithms that govern our lives in the age of big data, the legacy of this enigmatic scientist permeates every aspect of our digital age. Would you like to retrace together the progress that Alan Turing gave us? Let's try to imagine what he would say when faced with the high-tech world that he helped shape?
Alan Turing, from the 'dream' of machines to artificial intelligence
In 1936, at just 24 years old, Alan Turing published “On Computable Numbers”, an article destined to revolutionize the world of computing. In those pages, the young British mathematician introduced the concept of "Turing machine“, a device (still theoretical) capable of executing any computable algorithm. This work laid the foundation for the development of modern computers and paved the way for artificial intelligence.
In the following years, Turing made a fundamental contribution. He was the first to completely crack the German Enigma code. He also developed a machine, called “Bomba”, to simulate the functioning of the Enigma machine and obtain encrypted messages. Without exaggeration, Alan Turing shortened the conflict by at least two years and saved millions of lives. After the war, however, the mathematician continued to work on the first programmable computers. For example the Manchester Baby of the 1948: a way to explore the potential of artificial intelligence even then.
The Turing test and the dream of AI
Today, 70 years after his death, Alan Turing's ideas are more alive than ever. Virtual assistants like Siri and Alexa, the algorithms of Netflix and Amazon that recommend things to us, search engines like Google. All these tools, now an integral part of our lives, have their roots in the pioneering work of this visionary genius.
But Turing didn't just lay the technical foundations for computing and AI. In his article “Computing Machinery and Intelligence” Part 1950, offers what is now known as the “Turing test”. A criterion for determining whether a machine can be considered intelligent. According to this test, if a computer is able to converse with a human being without the latter being able to distinguish it from a real person, then it can be considered to have intelligence.
While the Turing Test remains a point of reference in the AI debate, advances over the past few decades have led to results that perhaps not even he could have imagined. From neural networks that recognize natural language to machine learning systems that beat human champions at chess and Go, AI is rapidly approaching Turing's lucid dream.
The legacy of a misunderstood genius
Yet despite his genius and his revolutionary contributions, Alan Turing long remained a misunderstood and persecuted figure. In 1952, at a time when homosexuality was still considered a crime in the United Kingdom, Turing was convicted of "gross indecency" and forced to undergo hormone treatment that caused him serious physical and psychological suffering. Only in 2009, 55 years after his death, the British government officially apologized for the treatment inflicted on this national hero, and in the 2013 Queen Elizabeth II dedicated a posthumous thank you to him.
The human legacy of a man who was a victim of the intolerance and prejudice of his time is also moral. In an era where diversity and inclusion are increasingly recognized values, the greatest tribute we can pay to this misunderstood genius is to build a world where every person can freely express their potential, without fear of discrimination or persecution .
Alan Turing lives, and looks to the future with us
Returning to my dream: if Alan Turing could visit our present, he would undoubtedly be amazed by the progress that technology has made in the last 70 years. He would see his dream of thinking machines ever closer to becoming reality, with AI permeating every aspect of our lives, from medicine to education, from finance to entertainment.
Perhaps, however, as a visionary scientist that he was, Turing would not be satisfied with celebrating the goals achieved. He would challenge us to push the boundaries of the possible, to explore new frontiers of computing and artificial intelligence. He would invite us to reflect on the ethical and social implications of these technologies, to work for a future in which AI is at the service of humanity and not a threat to it.
Above all, it would remind us that scientific progress is not just a matter of formulas and algorithms, but also of creativity, imagination and courage. The same qualities that allowed a young British mathematician to revolutionize the world with his ideas, despite the adversities and misunderstandings of his time.
