Turing test

artificial intelligence A criterion proposed by AlanTuring in 1950 for deciding whether a computer is

intelligent. Turing called it "the Imitation Game" and

offered it as a replacement for the question, "Can machines

think?"

A human holds a written conversation on any topic with an

unseen correspondent (nowadays it might be by electronicmail or chat). If the human believes he is talking to

another human when he is really talking to a computer then the

computer has passed the Turing test and is deemed to be

intelligent.

Turing predicted that within 50 years (by the year 2000)

technological progress would produce computing machines with a

capacity of 10**9 bits, and that with such machinery, a

computer program would be able to fool the average questioner

for 5 minutes about 70% of the time.

The Loebner Prize is a competition to find a computer

program which can pass an unrestricted Turing test.

Julia is a

program that attempts to pass the Turing test.

See also AI-complete.

(1995-01-04)