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Comment and Technology

Don't disrespect Alan Turing by reanimating him with AI

Plans to create an interactive AI model of the legendary code breaker Alan Turing are reckless and problematic, says Matthew Sparkes

By Matthew Sparkes

14 August 2024

New Scientist. Science news and long reads from expert journalists, covering developments in science, technology, health and the environment on the website and the magazine.

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Alan Turing was many things: a wartime hero, a computer scientist who pre-dated computers, the father of artificial intelligence and a persecuted gay man. Now, 70 years after his death, he will also become a museum exhibit in chatbot form.

Bletchley Park, the site where he worked as a code breaker during the second world war, is working with a UK company called 1956 Individuals to create an AI model that can “converse naturally with visitors” as Turing himself. The idea is to tell his story in an interactive way that grabs audiences. But is such a project ethical,…

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