The Turing test by Alan Turing, "Computing machinery and intelligence" (1950)

This paper is a foundational text in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) and explores the question: "Can machines think?"

Turing introduces what is now known as the "Turing Test" as a way to operationalize this question, he called it the imitation game.

Are there imaginable digital computers that could perform well in the imitation game?

The imitation game involves an interrogator trying to distinguish between a human and a machine based on their responses to various questions.

Turing argues that if a machine could perform well enough in this game to be indistinguishable from a human, then it could be said to "think." He explores various objections to the idea that machines can think, including theological, mathematical, and arguments from consciousness.

Turing addresses each objection, ultimately suggesting that machines can indeed be said to think if they can perform human-like tasks, especially those that involve reasoning, learning, and language.