Happy birthday, Alan Turing, Computer Pioneer

The Turing Machine Model

In 1936, Turing wrote a paper about a theoretical machine, dubbed the Universal Turing Machine, to solve complex mathematical equations. This was the genesis of the first modern computer.

In layman’s terms, the Turing Machine is a theoretical model consisting of a tape divided into cells, a head that can read and write symbols on the tape, and a set of rules that govern the machine’s behavior.^[1] The tape is an infinite sequence of cells, each capable of holding a symbol, and the head can move back and forth along the tape. The rules determine how the machine transitions from one state to another based on the current symbol it reads and its internal state.^[1]

Turing Machines can solve any problem that can be solved algorithmically, given enough time and resources. At the same time, he demonstrated that there are problems that no computer or algorithm will ever solve. This groundbreaking insight challenged the boundaries of what computers can do and had a profound impact on the field of theoretical computer science.^[1]

The Turing Machine model revolutionized the field of computer science by defining the limits and capabilities of computation. It serves as a theoretical framework for understanding algorithms and computability.

Breaking the Nazi Engima Code

Recruited by MI-6 during World War II at Cambridge University, Turing and a team of scientists built a machine to crack the German Enigma code. The Nazis changed the cipher in the machine daily, meaning that Turing’s team had only a day to crack the code before it reset. This breakthrough saved approximately 2 million people and shortened the war by 2 years.

If you haven’t seen the film The Imitation Game starring Benedict Cumberbatch, it tells the story of how Turing and his team solved the code.

The Turing Test for Artificial Intelligence

In addition, he created a test for artificial intelligence in 1950 called “Computing Machinery and Intelligence” while at the University of Manchester^[3]. The test was used to determine if a computer is true AI and if it can duplicate human thought and intelligence.^[2] Google’s LaMDA and OpenAI’s ChatGPT have both passed the test.^[4]

References

1. Turing machine. (2023, June 3). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turing_machine
2. 8 things you didn’t know about Alan Turing, Rebecca Jacobson, Inside Energy. November 28, 2014, PBS News Hour
3. Turing Test, Benjamin St. George, TechTarget, April 2023.
4. ChatGPT Passes Turing Test: A Turning Point for Language Models, Mark, MyLearning.org, May 9, 2023