Supportsoft Glossary

Turing Test and Its Role in Artificial Intelligence

Mathematician Alan Turing created the Turing Test so a layperson can evaluate whether or not an AI has demonstrated AI-like thinking and reasoning. With the Turing Test, a user interacts with both an AI and a human without knowing which is which. When the user cannot determine which of the participants is a human and which is a computer programme, the AI has passed the Turing Test.

Today, most artificial intelligence systems can create seemingly realistic conversations. However, most AI capabilities for intelligent behaviours are more than just reproducing "human" responses. True intelligent behaviours also require reasoning, understanding context, and making judgements regarding ethical quandaries.

For organisations, the Turing Test can serve as a guideline for creating automated systems capable of communicating in a way similar to that of humans. In customer care or virtual assistant applications, making reliable human-type interactions available through automated systems helps promote greater user engagement and build user trust.

In the field of IT and IT-enabled Services (ITES), the Turing Test serves as a basis for measuring the quality of automated conversational solutions, and it does not set a total bar that must be surpassed. Instead, it is a tool used to evaluate aspects of conversational solutions, such as clarity, coherence, and ease of use related to interactions with automated systems.