Can machines make us think? In memory of Alan Turing (1912–1954)

Abstract

Alan Turing's question "Can machines think?" motivated his famous imitation game, which became widely known as the Turing test. Constructing a machine that can pass the test was seen by many as the "holy grail" of artificial intelligence (AI) research because such a machine must be assumed to have intelligence. The test had a tremendous impact on computer science and stirred many philosophical debates over the last decades. Today, however, the test has nearly vanished from research agendas in AI. Here, we argue that the Turing test is still inspirational. Modern computing machinery is now an integral part in myriads of problem-solving processes and has revolutionized how science is done. Machines can make us think, that is, help us refine or develop new theories about the natural world.