Computer Passes The Turing Test

Via the Independent:

A programme that convinced humans that it was a 13-year-old boy has become the first computer ever to pass the Turing Test. The test — which requires that computers are indistinguishable from humans — is considered a landmark in the development of artificial intelligence, but academics have warned that the technology could be used for cybercrime. Computing pioneer Alan Turing said that a computer could be understood to be thinking if it passed the test, which requires that a computer dupes 30 per cent of human interrogators in five-minute text conversations. Eugene Goostman, a computer programme made by a team based in Russia, succeeded in a test conducted at the Royal Society in London. It convinced 33 per cent of the judges that it was human, said academics at the University of Reading, which organised the test.

The test was performed on Saturday, the 60th anniversary of Alan Turing's suicide after having been chemically castrated following his conviction for homosexuality. Turing received a posthumous pardon from the British government last year. You can chat with the program and see for yourself if it feels human. I think the responses come far too quickly. (Tipped by JMG reader Paul)