Anniversary | Alan Turing | Father of Artificial Intelligence
Anniversary | Alan Turing | Father of Artificial Intelligence
"Sometimes it is the people no one can imagine anything of who do the things no one can imagine."
'Was I God? No. Because, god didn't win the war. We did.'
The Imitation Game (2014)
Happy birthday, 'Code-Breaker', Alan Turing. This man gave birth to the computer age. In 1945, he designed one of the world's first computers. An original thinker, whose ideas laid foundation for modern computing some 60 years back. A mathematical genius, who first envisioned Artificial Intelligence (AI). Hence, considered to be the real father of AI.
Main architect of code breaking efforts of the German's Enigma machine during world war II. Enigma machine is an encryption mechanism devised by Germans considered humanly impossible to decrypt.But, Turing was instrumental in finding ways not only to break them, but use it to deceive enemy forces. His efforts saved innumerable lives of allied nations. Then, British prime minister, Winston Churchill, noted that 'Alan Turing made the single biggest contribution to allied victory in world war II.'
First mathematical biologist to provide mathematical equations for patterns and stripes found in petals of plants' flowers and animals' bodies. Essentially, he was an expert in everything he had interests in. However, his end was unfortunate. He was convicted for gross indecency because of the fact that he was a male homosexual, consequently chemically castrated (Homosexuality was an offence then in England). Turing was tormented.
Had he lived longer and his government given him the recognition he deserved, the course of British science would have changed, and he would have had made more breakthrough scientific inventions for the betterment of humanity. He was born 111 years ago today, on 23rd June, 1912. He committed suicide when he was 41. Later in 2009, British government duly recognized Alan Turing and his accomplishments.
I did a deep dive of Sir Alan Turing. It would be a mistake if he is only limited to computer intelligence. He was a biologist either. Only after carrying a comphrensive study did I write the content posted above. Basically, he was an expert in everything he was interested in including homosexuality. He was instrumental in the allied forces winning the second world war.
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Imitation Game (2014)
'After a year of government-mandated hormonal therapy, Alan Turing committed suicide on June 7th, 1954.He was 41 years old. Between 1995 and 1967, approximately 49,000 homosexual men were convicted of gross indecency under British law. In 2013, Queen Elizabeth II granted Turing a posthumous royal pardon, honoring his unprecedented achievements.
Historians estimate that breaking Enigma shortened the war by more than two years, saving over 14 million lives. It remained a government-held secret for more than 50 years. Turing's work inspired generations of research into what scientists called "Turing Machines." Today, we call them computers.'
Addiction to soundtrack:
The general consensus is that a troubled mind causes problems, but not only can a troubled mind save lives, but alter the course of history. This man was visionary #AlanTuring. And, this score composed by versatile musician #AlexandreDesplat for "#TheImitationGame" (2014) holds true to Turing's life.
'After a year of government-mandated hormonal therapy, Alan Turing committed suicide on June 7th, 1954.He was 41 years old. Between 1995 and 1967, approximately 49,000 homosexual men were convicted of gross indecency under British law. In 2013, Queen Elizabeth II granted Turing a posthumous royal pardon, honoring his unprecedented achievements.
Historians estimate that breaking Enigma shortened the war by more than two years, saving over 14 million lives. It remained a government-held secret for more than 50 years. Turing's work inspired generations of research into what scientists called "Turing Machines." Today, we call them computers.'
#TheImitationGame (2014)
'Well human brains can compute large sums very quickly even Hugh can do that but I want Christopher to be smarter. To make a calculation and then to determine what to do next. Like a person does. Think of it. Electrical brain. A digital computer.'
#TheImitationGame (2014)
'No one normal could have done that. Do you know, this morning... I was on a train that went through a city that wouldn't exist if it wasn't for you. I bought a ticket from a man who would likely be dead if it wasn't for you. I read up on my work... a whole field of scientific inquiry that only exists because of you. And while you wish you could have been normal... I can promise you I do not. The world is an infinitely better place precisely because you weren't.'
#TheImitationGame (2014)
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'Of course machines can't think as people do. A machine is different from a person. Hence, they think differently. The interesting question is, just because something, uh... thinks differently from you, does that mean it's not thinking? Well, we allow for humans to have such divergences from one another. You like strawberries, I hate ice-skating, you cry at sad films, I am allergic to pollen. What is the point of... different tastes, different... preferences, if not, to say that our brains work differently, that we think differently? And if we can say that about one another, then why can't we say the same thing for brains... built of copper and wire, steel?'
#TheImitationGame (2014)
'Was I God? No. Because, god didn't win the war. We did.'
#TheImitationGame (2014)
'You just defeated Nazism with a crossword puzzle.'
#TheImitationGame (2014)
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Visionary scientist, #AlanTuring on Artificial Intelligence:
'Why can't something of a person remain alive?
I'm not mad. I don't believe an individual consciousness could be transplanted into a machine now though given a few years, who knows? But for now I only ask can we not house something like a human consciousness inside an inorganic vessel something permanent, so it will remain and learn and achieve something like wisdom, a wisdom to which you and I can refer? #Codebreaker (2011)
In September 2009 the British Government apologized for the way #AlanTuring was treated.
'We're sorry. You deserved so much better.'
#Codebreaker (2011)
'The air is full of radio signals flying past our heads ready to be intercepted. We all see different things. Do you know how honeybees see by ultraviolet light? Their eyes perceive a range of wavelengths entirely different to what we can see as humans and so, even though we're in the same world, we see another world entirely.' #AlanTuring #Codebreaker (2011)
'Mathematicians talk about beauty of numbers but I know because I was one. They're talking about computable, the beauty of what can be resolved. But what about the rest, the greater infinity? What's not computable lies beyond the infinitesimal silver of knowledge we've managed to subdue inside our fragile, trembling human consciousness. A consciousness which is, in fact, decaying within us from the moment we're born.' #AlanTuring #Codebreaker (2011)
'Poisons appear everywhere in nature. Some of the most beautiful flowers contain the deadliest poisons. Oleander, Rhododendron, Narcissus. Do you know what their poison did to me? It shrunk my testicles.I grew breasts.I, we all, worked to break Hitler because what did he do? Amongst other things? He sterilised Jews, Jews like you. We fought that bastard. We defeated him. And when we were finished, what did they do to me? And I'm supposed to allow it.' #AlanTuring #Codebreaker (2011)
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I'm humbled to say that I'm a generalist and not a specialist, which kind of helps me talking about wide ranging ideas from quantum physics to social and geopolitical divide, not in detail but briefly. Thus, this superficial understanding aids me to be a part of any discussion. Of course, I'm not an expert and can't provide solutions. Having said that, a couple of years ago, I was talking to a friend about the real father of Artificial Intelligence (AI), and his enormous contributions not only to computer science engineering but for the betterment of humanity. Apparently, he had then spoken to some in the student and programming communities, but almost no one was aware of the real inventor of AI. I was shocked and disappointed, how come someone whose livelihood is computer programming not knowing the inventor of AI? This knowledge gap prevails because not only the students' but the teachers' who pursue technical courses are doing it mechanically, and either don't have or attempting to have a holistic understanding of the environment.
Authored by Balaji Thangapandian aka #BT - a spacefarer, who is also curious about film-making, connectivity technologies and military history.
mindofbt.blogspot.com
tbalajiocha@gmail.com
https://www.facebook.com/balaji.thangapandian
https://www.facebook.com/FilmTheorist
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