Innovation Spotlight: Alan Turing
Often hailed as the father of computer science and artificial intelligence, Alan Turing was also a war hero who is credited with helping to defeat the Nazis in World War II. He was honored by King George VI as an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. Several buildings bear his name, and he has even been featured on an English banknote. Turing was included in Time Magazine’s 100 most important people of the twentieth century, which stated, “The fact remains that everyone who taps at a keyboard, opening a spreadsheet or a word-processing program, is working on an incarnation of a Turing machine.” Turing was a gay man in a time where his vast contributions to society were not an adequate deterrent to the criminal treatment and persecution he received when his relationship was exposed.
“Sometimes it is the people ‘no one can imagine anything of’ who do the things no one can imagine.”
Turing overcame a stutter, bad grades, and less than stellar reports from his teachers to leave an indelible mark on modern society. He had an IQ of 185 and was recognized as a genius in adulthood, but in 1929, his end-of-term report made reference to his poor English reading, very weak French prose, and revealed a “mathematical promise undermined by his untidy work.” Over time, Turing’s marks improved, and his teachers reported his improvement along with their appreciation for the unique promise he displayed.
Undeterred and curious, he embraced science from a young age. At the age of 13, he is said to have biked nearly 60 miles to attend his first day of classes. Commonly celebrated for his mathematical achievements, he also held strong interest in physics, biology, chemistry, and neurology. His formulaic explanation of how things grow is credited for creating a new field of mathematical biology.
Code Breaking Machine - the Bombe
Turing is well known for his code breaking machine, the Bombe, which was invaluable during World War II. Germany used the Enigma machine to conceal their military communications, and Turing’s invention deciphered the encryption, leading Winston Churchill to say that he made the “single, biggest contribution to the Allied Victory” against Nazi Germany.
His lasting impact, however, comes from an earlier invention, the universal Turing Machine, which is the predecessor to the modern computer. He also devised the Turing Test, which determines if a computer can replicate human intelligence, and lays the groundwork of the artificial intelligence present in nearly every aspect of our modern life. Of his test, he wrote, “A computer would deserve to be called intelligent if it could deceive a human into believing that it was human.”
Learn more about Turing’s contributions to AI https://www.uspto.gov/sites/default/files/documents/OCE-DH-AI.pdf
“I've now got myself into the kind of trouble that I have always considered to be quite a possibility for me, though I have usually rated it at about 10:1 against. I shall shortly be pleading guilty.”
Despite his genius IQ and monumental contributions to peace and modern society, his life became marred by a conviction of “gross indecency” in connection with his relationship. In social circles he did not hide his orientation. Nor did Turing deny his relationship or his orientation upon investigation. Upon his arrest, he is reported to have admonished the criminality of his status. He was subjected to hormone therapy and was unable to continue his employment as it pertained to the security of his country.
He continued to conduct groundbreaking research, albeit no longer for the benefit of the English government. His refusal to back away from his work was itself an act of defiance as he declined the notion that he should be sidelined by his conviction. His life was cut short by cyanide poisoning, the origin of which is still a source of speculation, despite the official ruling being suicide.
“We can only see a short distance ahead, but we can see plenty there that needs to be done.”
The British government has publicly apologized for Turing’s treatment and Queen Elizabeth II issued a royal pardon in 2013. Following his posthumous pardon, a petition was circulated to pardon others that had been convicted of crimes connected to historical laws criminalizing homosexuality. In 2017, the resulting legislation led to statutory pardons for thousands of gay and bisexual men and women.
Today, many scholarships for the LGBTQ+ community bear Alan Turing’s name throughout the world. They are often awarded to students majoring in computer science, computer engineering, mathematics, or other STEM related fields of study.
