BANK OF ENGLAND £50 ALAN TURING BANKNOTE

Alan Turing's image, along with a landmark mathematical formula he developed, will be featured on Britain's highest-value bank note.

The new bank note carries a mathematical formula that Turning wrote in a 1936 paper that laid the groundwork for modern computer science.

The note also features a quote by Turing about the rise of machine intelligence: "This is only a foretaste of what is to come, and only the shadow of what is going to be."

The £50 note will enter circulation on June 23, Turing's birthday. It is the Bank of England's highest-value bank note. Turing replaces steam engine pioneers James Watt and Matthew Boulton.

Turning cracked the Nazi Enigma code by building on the works of Polish mathematicians who discovered how to read it.

He built an electro-mechanical machine, which foreshadowed the computer, to break the "unbreakable" code that Nazis used to pass orders to their command chain.

He also developed the a test to determine if machines are capable of human-like intelligent behavior. The "Turing test" became cornerstone of the philosophy and ethics of what is now known as artificial intelligence.

The head of GCHQ, Jeremy Fleming, said Turing's image on the note was a historical moment.

"Turing was embraced for his brilliance and persecuted for being gay. His legacy is a reminder of the value of embracing all aspects of diversity, but also the work we still need to do to become truly inclusive," Fleming said.

In 2013, Queen Elizabeth granted Turning a royal pardon for the 1952 criminal conviction. A year later, the film The Imitation Game, which won an Oscar, showcased Turing's story.

To read the complete article, see:
Britain unveils £50 Alan Turing bank note celebrating WWII codebreaker (https://www.dw.com/en/britain-unveils-50-alan-turing-bank-note-celebrating-wwii-codebreaker/a-56985991)

To read additional articles, see:
WWII codebreaker Alan Turing honoured on new UK bank note (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/3/25/wwii-codebreaker-alan-turing-honoured-on-new-uk-bank-note)
New £50 note featuring Alan Turing to enter circulation in June (https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/mar/25/new-50-note-alan-turing-banknote-enigma)

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