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I believe that at the end of the century the use of words and general educated opinion will have altered so much that one will be able to speak of machines thinking without expecting to be contradicted.

Alan Turing

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Alan Turing
Age: 41 †
Born: 1912
Born: June 23
Died: 1954
Died: June 7
Artificial Intelligence Researcher
Computer Scientist
Cryptographer
Logician
Marathon Runner
Mathematician
Statistician
University Teacher
Warrington Lodge Medical and Surgery Home for Ladies
Alan M. Turing
Alan Mathieson Turing
Turing
Alan Mathison Turing
Believe
Opinion
Contradicted
Thinking
Words
Altered
Use
Expecting
Speak
Artificial
Ends
Educated
Able
Machines
Without
General
Much
Century

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Instruction tables will have to be made up by mathematicians with computing experience and perhaps a certain puzzle-solving ability. There need be no real danger of it ever becoming a drudge, for any processes that are quite mechanical may be turned over to the machine itself.
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Machines take me by surprise with great frequency.
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Unless in communicating with it one says exactly what one means, trouble is bound to result.
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No, I'm not interested in developing a powerful brain. All I'm after is just a mediocre brain, something like the President of the American Telephone and Telegraph Company.
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We may hope that machines will eventually compete with men in all purely intellectual fields.
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It seems probable that once the machine thinking method had started, it would not take long to outstrip our feeble powers… They would be able to converse with each other to sharpen their wits. At some stage therefore, we should have to expect the machines to take control.
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Up to a point, it is better to just let the snags [bugs] be there than to spend such time in design that there are none.
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The idea behind digital computers may be explained by saying that these machines are intended to carry out any operations which could be done by a human computer.
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When we want to sink a convoy, we send out an observation plane first... Of course, to observe is not its real duty, we already know exactly where the convoy is. Its real duty is to be observed...Then, when we come round and sink them, the Germans will not find it suspicious.
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We are not interested in the fact that the brain has the consistency of cold porridge.
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A very large part of space-time must be investigated, if reliable results are to be obtained.
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We can only see a short distance ahead, but we can see plenty there that needs to be done.
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A man provided with paper, pencil, and rubber, and subject to strict discipline, is in effect a universal machine.
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Do you know why people like violence? It is because it feels good. Humans find violence deeply satisfying. But remove the satisfaction, and the act becomes hollow.
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Programming is a skill best acquired by practice and example rather than from books.
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My little computer said such a funny thing this morning.
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Mathematical reasoning may be regarded rather schematically as the exercise of a combination of two facilities, which we may call intuition and ingenuity.
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I'm afraid that the following syllogism may be used by some in the future. Turing believes machines think Turing lies with men Therefore machines do not think Yours in distress, Alan
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No, I'm not interested in developing a powerful brain.
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The original question, 'Can machines think?' I believe to be too meaningless to deserve discussion.
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