12 | 1 lIfE AND wORk
1948 Writes AI’s first manifesto, titled ‘Intelligent machinery’. In this he invents
the concepts of a genetic algorithm, neuron-like computing, and
connectionist AI.Hypothesizes that ‘intellectual activity consists mainly of various kinds
of search’ (anticipating Al Newell’s and Herb Simon’s ‘heuristic search
hypothesis’, saying that intelligence consists in search).Proposes using ‘television cameras, microphones, loudspeakers, wheels and
“handling servo-mechanisms”’ to build a robot.Describes a version of the experiment now called the Turing test.
Accepts Max Newman’s offer of a job in the Computing Machine
Laboratory at Manchester University.Before leaving Cambridge starts work on software for Manchester’s ‘Baby’,
the world’s first electronic stored-program computer.Designs a chess program ‘Turochamp’ with friend David Champernowne –
arguably the first ever AI program.Moves to Manchester and meets Baby, built by engineers Freddie Williams
and Tom Kilburn. Improves hardware, adding input–output equipment.Experiments with programming musical notes.
1949 Runs his ‘Mersenne Express’ program for finding prime numbers.
Pioneers debugging techniques.
Tells reporter from ‘The Times’ that there is no reason why computers will not
‘eventually compete on equal terms’ with the human intellect.Gives a lecture titled ‘Checking a large routine’ at a computer conference in
Cambridge, foreseeing what computer scientists now call ‘software verification’.Designs a random number generator for the Ferranti Mark I computer.
1950 Writes the world’s first programming manual.
Takes delivery of the first Ferranti Mark I. Soon has the computer to himself
for two nights every week.