Who first conceived the idea that someday computers would “think” in ways that one could not distinguish from a human? Perhaps it was Alan Turing. Born in 1912, this British mathematician, cryptanalyst (in World War II), computer scientist and marathon runner, created the concept and first model of a general purpose computer. It became known as the Turing Machine.
More germane to this book is his prediction that computers would someday “think” so similarly to humans, that if a problem was posed to a human in one room, and a computer in another, the questioner could not distinguish from which room the answer came from. He predicted that this would happen within 50 years with a 30% success rate. Although his prediction did not materialize, recent breakthroughs in artificial intelligence have convinced me that, by 2030, the 30% “indistinguishable” rate will be achieved or exceeded.
More germane to this book is his prediction that computers would someday “think” so similarly to humans, that if a problem was posed to a human in one room, and a computer in another, the questioner could not distinguish from which room the answer came from. He predicted that this would happen within 50 years with a 30% success rate. Although his prediction did not materialize, recent breakthroughs in artificial intelligence have convinced me that, by 2030, the 30% “indistinguishable” rate will be achieved or exceeded.
