The Mind Creative
Later, Turing held high-ranking positions in the mathematics
department and the computing laboratory at the University of
Manchester in the late 1940s. Here, he first addressed the issue
of artificial intelligence in his 1950 paper, "Computing machinery
and intelligence," and proposed an experiment known as the
“Turing Test” - an effort to create an intelligence design standard
for the technology industry. Interestingly, this particular test
continues to influence discussions and debates on artificial
intelligence.
Homosexuality, Conviction and
Death
In the 1950s, homosexuality was
illegal in the United Kingdom. In
January 1952, after a break-in at
his house, Turing admitted to the
police that he had had a sexual
relationship with the perpetrator; a
19-year-old Arnold Murray. Turing
was charged consequently with
gross indecency. Following his
arrest, Turing was forced to choose
between temporary probation on
the condition that he receives
hormonal treatment for libido
reduction, or imprisonment. He
chose the former, and soon
underwent chemical castration through injections
of a synthetic oestrogen hormone for a year,
which ultimately rendered him impotent.
As a result of his conviction, Turing's security
clearance was removed and he was barred from
continuing his work with cryptography at the
GCHQ.
Turing died on June 7, 1954 – 16 days before his
42nd birthday. A post-mortem exam revealed that
the cause of death was cyanide poisoning.
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