Alan Turing - Laid the foundations of computing and Artificial Intelligence

A brilliant mind in dark times

Alan Turing was not an ordinary genius. From a young age, he showed a supernatural ability for logical reasoning that made him a misfit in the British educational system of the time. In a world obsessed with Victorian values and tradition, Turing represented the complete opposite: pure originality, independent thinking, and a vision of the future that no one else could comprehend.

In our episode, we explore how a 24-year-old boy, in 1936, laid the theoretical foundations of modern computing with his concept of the Turing Machine. Think about this: computers did not exist, the word "computer" didn't even exist in the modern sense, and this young mathematician was imagining devices capable of executing any algorithmic operation. He was envisioning ChatGPT before anyone knew what a pixel was.

The war hero that no one could know

World War II catapulted Turing to the center of one of the most secret intelligence operations in history. At Bletchley Park, a Victorian mansion turned into the nerve center of British espionage, Turing led the development of the Bombe, an electromechanical machine designed to decrypt Enigma, the Nazi encryption system that seemed invulnerable.

Historians estimate that Turing's work shortened the war by at least two years and saved millions of lives. However, all of this remained in absolute secrecy for decades. The man who probably saved more lives than any general could not receive public recognition for his heroism.

In the episode, we recount incredible anecdotes from this era: how he chained his teacup to the radiator so it wouldn't be stolen, how he used a homemade gas mask to combat his allergies during his bike rides, and how he ran 65 kilometers from Bletchley Park to London just to attend meetings. Turing was eccentric, obsessive, and absolutely brilliant.

From triumph to tragedy

After the war, Turing continued revolutionizing the world. In 1950, he published one of his most influential papers: "Computing Machinery and Intelligence", where he posed the famous question: Can machines think? His answer was the Turing Test, a test that transformed a metaphysical question into a practical and measurable problem, ahead of 73 years of technologies like ChatGPT.

But Turing's story is also a story of profound injustice. In 1952, after reporting a theft at his home, the police discovered his relationship with another man. He was arrested, prosecuted, and convicted under the laws of "gross indecency" of the time. He was given the choice between imprisonment or chemical castration. He chose hormonal treatment, which had devastating effects on his physical and mental health.

On June 8, 1954, Turing's housekeeper found him dead beside a partially eaten apple poisoned with cyanide. He was only 41 years old. The man who had saved Europe from Nazi tyranny was treated as a criminal simply for being who he was.

A legacy that surrounds us

Every time you unlock your smartphone, use a computer, speak with an artificial intelligence, or drive a car with autonomous systems, you are using technology that exists thanks to the ideas of Alan Turing. His story is that of a misunderstood visionary, a forgotten hero, and a victim of intolerance.

In this episode of Brands 4 Future, we journey through every stage of his life: from his solitary childhood in British boarding schools, through his revolutionary years at Cambridge and Princeton, his secret work during the war, his pioneering contributions to artificial intelligence and mathematical biology, to the tragic ending that should never have happened.

Don't miss this story of genius, courage, injustice, and posthumous redemption. Listen to the full episode here and discover why Alan Turing is one of the most important minds of the 20th century and how his legacy remains alive in every aspect of our digital age.