Artificial Intelligence Programming Practice Exam 2026 - Free AI Programming Practice Questions and Study Guide

The purpose of the Turing Test, introduced by Alan Turing in 1950, was to provide an operational definition of intelligence. Turing proposed that if a machine could engage in conversation indistinguishably from a human, it could be considered "intelligent." The test involves a human evaluator interacting with both a human and a machine through a text-based interface, without knowing which is which. If the evaluator cannot reliably distinguish the machine from the human based on their responses, the machine is said to have passed the test, thereby demonstrating a form of artificial intelligence.

This focus on conversational ability as an indicator of intelligence distinguishes the Turing Test from measures of computational speed or algorithm evaluation, which do not necessarily reflect a machine's capacity for intelligent behavior. Additionally, assessing robotic movements and capabilities pertains more to physical aspects of AI rather than cognitive or conversational intelligence, which is at the heart of the Turing Test's purpose.