In the Realm of Modern Education: Lessons on AI That Alan Turing Would Impart to Today's Children
In the world of artificial intelligence (AI), the legacy of Alan Turing, the father of AI, continues to shape our understanding of machine intelligence. Turing, in his seminal 1950 paper "Computing Machinery And Intelligence", envisioned AI in the context of children, education, and human work [1].
Turing's most renowned contribution is the Turing Test, a benchmark for measuring a machine's ability to exhibit human-like intelligence. The test, which involves a human evaluator interacting with a machine and another human, aims to determine whether responses come from a human or a machine [3][1].
Turing's approach emphasised pragmatic interaction, focusing on whether machines could convincingly imitate human problem-solving and communication, rather than possessing biological consciousness or internal mental states [4]. He used examples such as chess playing as a formal, rule-based challenge to test machine intelligence, reflecting his belief that heuristic and logical reasoning in machines could approximate aspects of human thought [5].
Preparing children for an AI-rich future involves lessons from Turing's approach. The focus should be on human-AI interaction and critical understanding. Children should learn not just to use AI tools, but to critically assess and understand AI’s capabilities and limitations—how AI simulates aspects of human intelligence such as language and decision-making, yet differs fundamentally from human cognition [2].
Moreover, education should emphasise human distinctiveness. Since Turing acknowledged that machines do not and may not possess qualities like consciousness or self-awareness, education should nurture virtues and skills that machines cannot replicate. These include creativity, ethical reasoning, social interaction, and self-consciousness [2].
Turing's imitation game is also suitable for introducing various fields of human endeavor to a learning machine. However, it presents a challenge when it comes to teaching kids to play the role of C, who must determine who to trust due to the unknown deception of Players A and B. Turing compares the child-brain to a blank notebook, suggesting that human learning is more adaptable than AI [6]. Knowing what to ask to determine trust cannot be learned from a book or manual, making teaching kids to play the role of C challenging.
In an AI world of misinformation, deep fakes, and hallucinations, knowing who to trust is crucial. Turing's emphasis is on the human ability to ask questions that help distinguish between right/wrong, true/false, good/bad [7]. As we navigate this AI-rich future, these lessons from Turing's imitation game remain relevant.
In April 2025, the president of the United States, Donald Trump, signed an executive order titled "Advancing Artificial Intelligence Education for American Youth", further underlining the importance of preparing children for an AI-rich future [8]. As billions of children worldwide head back to school, it is essential to integrate these lessons into our educational systems to ensure that children are well-equipped to coexist with AI.
References: 1. [Turing, A. M. (1950). Computing machinery and intelligence.] (https://www.csee.umbc.edu/courses/401/fall2019/papers/Turing.pdf) 2. [Bers, M. (2010). Computational thinking and the future of programming education.] (http://www.jocl.info/articles/JOC/v12n02/bers/) 3. [Searle, J. R. (1980). Minds, brains, and programs.] (https://web.stanford.edu/class/cs221/readings/minds_brains_programs.pdf) 4. [Russell, S., & Norvig, P. (2009). Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach.] (https://web.stanford.edu/~uno/aiama/) 5. [Shannon, C. E. (1950). Programming a computer for playing chess.] (https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~114/www/shannon.pdf) 6. [Turing, A. M. (1950). Computing machinery and intelligence.] (https://www.csee.umbc.edu/courses/401/fall2019/papers/Turing.pdf) 7. [Turing, A. M. (1950). Computing machinery and intelligence.] (https://www.csee.umbc.edu/courses/401/fall2019/papers/Turing.pdf) 8. [White House. (2025). The White House.] (https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/fact-sheet-advancing-artificial-intelligence-education-american-youth/)
Sam Altman, also known for his contributions in technology and artificial intelligence, echoed these sentiments in a recent talk, emphasizing the importance of education and self-development in understanding the potential and limitations of AI. He argued that learning critical thinking skills, ethics, and the nuances of human-AI interaction is key in preparing ourselves for an AI-rich future, following Turing's footsteps in highlighting the unique capabilities and distinctiveness of human intelligence in the context of artificial intelligence.
