Russian computer passes Turing Test for the first time

This is a big step in the direction of viable artificial intelligence. The Turing test is a test of a machine's ability to exhibit intelligent behavior equivalent to, or indistinguishable from, that of a human. In the original illustrative example, a human judge engages in natural language conversations with a human and a machine designed to generate performance indistinguishable from that of a human being.



A team of programmers out of Russia created Eugene Goostman, who is supposed to be a 13 year old boy from Odessa, Ukraine. Eugene successfully passed the test, which was conducted at the Royal Society in London, by convincing 33 per cent of the judges that it was human.

According to the Independent, it is thought to be the first computer to pass the iconic test. Though other programmes have claimed successes, those included set topics or questions in advance.



A version of the computer program, which was created in 2001, is hosted online for anyone talk to. (“I feel about beating the Turing Test in quite convenient way. Nothing original,” said Goostman, when asked how he felt after his success.)

The program's success is likely to prompt some concerns about the future of computing, said Kevin Warwick, a visiting professor at the University of Reading and deputy vice-chancellor for research at Coventry University.

"In the field of Artificial Intelligence there is no more iconic and controversial milestone than the Turing Test, when a computer convinces a sufficient number of interrogators into believing that it is not a machine but rather is a human," he said. "Having a computer that can trick a human into thinking that someone, or even something, is a person we trust is a wake-up call to cybercrime.

The success came on the 60th anniversary of Turing's death, on Saturday.