Alan Turing's greatest achievement wasn't cracking Enigma

Alan Turing is remembered for cracking the Enigma code during the Second World War – but his greatest legacy may have come afterwards…

Published: July 17, 2026 at 10:03 AM

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After his vital work helped to shorten the Second World War, Alan Turing turned his attention to an even more extraordinary question: can machines think?

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More than 70 years before today's explosion in artificial intelligence, Turing imagined computers that could learn from experience, proposed what became known as the 'Turing Test', and helped lay the foundations for the digital world we now live in.

In this video, HistoryExtra's Danny Bird explores the remarkable life of one of the 20th century's greatest scientific minds – from his groundbreaking work at Bletchley Park to his pioneering research into computing, machine intelligence and biology.

We also examine the tragic persecution he faced as a gay man in post-war Britain, and how his reputation was transformed after his death.

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Listen to the full podcast interview with David Kenyon

Authors

Danny BirdContent producer

Danny Bird is a content producer at HistoryExtra

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