The purpose of science is to change the world and make people live happier in that better world. Alan Turing succeeded in this with the limited means at his disposal, changed the fate of the war, and although he deserves to be called the father of artificial intelligence today, his life story ended with a sad end.
If you watched the 2014 movie Enigma The answer to the question of who is Alan Turing In general, you know. The movie tells only part of a true story. because Alan Turing, During his short life, he not only changed the history of the Second World War, but also formed the mathematical basis of computers and artificial intelligence as we know it today.
Alan Turing You may think that such a genius is crowned especially in a ‘developed’ country such as England, but unfortunately, the end of this extraordinary person was a cyanide apple, which also inspired the Apple logo. Who is Alan Turing, what has he done, Let’s take a closer look at questions such as how the war changed the fate of the war and see how this genius’s short life ended with such a sad end.
Back when computers were humans:
Born in London in 1912, Alan Turing, full name Alan Mathison Turing, started his education at Sherborne School. discovered the magic world of mathematics and after successfully working on this passion, he decided to continue his studies in mathematics at King’s College. After successfully completing his education there, he was accepted as an academy member at Cambridge University.
Alan Turing The Entscheidungsproblem Published an article. On Computable Numbers In this article, which we can translate into our language, a problem known as the decision problem how to solve basic electronics via computers was telling. This was a groundbreaking theory because computers of that era were humans.
The English word computer, which means computer, not joke, was used for people at that time. Massive calculations, spreadsheet creation, demanding operations packed into a room and working almost all day. It was carried out by a team of women. This team was referred to by the word computer, which means calculator.
The decision problem solving method put forward by Alan Turing was actually built on the theory that humans can do digital computation. Yes, artificial intelligence as we know it. This system, put forward by Turing, laid the foundations for computers to be a device, not a human profession, by revealing that computers that could only perform 4 operations at that time could do much more.
It solves the Enigma system, which the Germans call insoluble:
Alan Turing, who made a name for himself in the world of mathematics and logic with this article he wrote, was accepted by Princeton University and returned to England. After returning to England in 1938 he was hired by the government to use this system on behalf of the state, but while his work was still in the smoke, World War II broke out.
During the Second World War, England was actually bombed by the Nazis. Perhaps thousands of British agents wanted to hack into the Germans’ radio system to learn their attack strategy, but due to an encryption system called Enigma, which is renewed every day. to analyze this intelligence was becoming impossible. Moreover, since it was changed every day, these people had only 24 hours of time.
At this point, Alan Turing stepped in and thanks to the system he established, the encryption system, which seems to change randomly every day, is impossible for a human to solve under normal conditions. He almost managed to solve it alone. Thanks to the decrypted encryption system, all the Nazis’ communication information was captured and not only did millions of English lives be saved, but the fate of the war was changed.
Alan Turing, the unsung hero of the war:
Alan Turing, whom we expect to make headlines in all the newspapers, to receive dozens of medals and to be respected throughout his life, is the man who changed the fate of the Second World War. He is thrown into a corner on the grounds that he knows too many state secrets. He is literally cornered because the British government chose to ignore Turing.
Turing, who did not lose his passion, started to make electronic computers and fully digitize the system. had it on his head. In this process, he turned the long walks, which were the habit of many scientists, into running, and managed to become an athlete at a level to be accepted to the British Olympic Games in 1948.
Unfortunately, his success in this period was only at the level of sports, because at that time a similar American system was accepted by the British government. While Turing was pushed aside because he already knew too many state secrets, he also did unnecessary work He was getting further and further away from his dreams.
The father of artificial intelligence ends up with a cyanide apple:
Alan Turing was a homosexual. Despite all its success, the British government only saw this situation because Homosexuality is illegal in the UK, even a crime. Turing, who turned out to be gay, was presented with two options. He would either go to jail or be given a high level of female hormone, namely estrogen. Rather than rot in prison, he chose the second option.
Alan Turing, whose breasts grew due to high levels of estrogen, whose testicles shrank and worse still, started to lose his mind, on the pretext that his work was not at a level to continue. expelled from the university. However, it is not enough to remove a scientist from the university to stop his studies. The British government knew this too.
Alan Turing was found dead in his home on June 7, 1954. Found with only one bite taken He was said to have committed suicide with a cyanide apple. But even today, many people believe that this death was an assassination or that Turing was forced to bite into this apple. These thoughts don’t look like unrealistic conspiracy theories when we consider the pressure he’s been through.
Alan Turing legacy:
Alan Turing did not invent the computer. He did not even fully invent artificial intelligence, but what he did was much more important. Because behind all the devices we use today, there are complex mathematical formulas and engineering studies based on them. Request Alan Turing is perhaps the hardest part of the job. that is, he revealed the mathematical side.
The intense hormone punishment given to Turing is called chemical castration. Turing, who sacrificed his body for his scientific work, If he had not committed suicide, he would have built a real electronic computer, perhaps enabling the development of today’s technology very early. The Apple logo we all know today is thought to be inspired by the cyanide apple that Turing lost with a single bite.
Named as the father of artificial intelligence, also the scientist who changed the fate of the Second World War. We answered the question of who is Alan Turing and we talked about the short life story of this genius with a sad ending.