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The original question, 'Can machines think?' I believe to be too meaningless to deserve discussion.

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
Machines
Deserve
Question
Believe
Think
Meaningless
Thinking
Discussion
Originals
Original

More quotes by Alan Turing

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In attempting to construct such (artificially intelligent) machines we should not be irreverently usurping His (God's) power of creating souls, any more than we are in the procreation of children,” Turing had advised. “Rather we are, in either case, instruments of His will providing mansions for the souls that He creates.
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Unless in communicating with it one says exactly what one means, trouble is bound to result.
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My little computer said such a funny thing this morning.
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The Exclusion Principle is laid down purely for the benefit of the electrons themselves, who might be corrupted (and become dragons or demons) if allowed to associate too freely.
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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.
Alan Turing
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If a machine is expected to be infallible, it cannot also be intelligent.
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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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Sometimes it is the people no one imagines anything of who do the things that no one can imagine.
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Mathematical reasoning may be regarded.
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One day ladies will take their computers for walks in the park and tell each other, My little computer said such a funny thing this morning.
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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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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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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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A computer would deserve to be called intelligent if it could deceive a human into believing that it was human.
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Machines take me by surprise with great frequency.
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Science is a differential equation. Religion is a boundary condition.
Alan Turing
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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.
Alan Turing
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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.
Alan Turing
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We may hope that machines will eventually compete with men in all purely intellectual fields.
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