Alan Turing

Alan Turing is the foundational figure of computer science and artificial intelligence. He conceptualized the Turing Machine (1936), an abstract model of computation that defined the limits of what can be algorithmically computed, formalizing the concepts of algorithms and programs. During WWII, his crucial work at Bletchley Park in breaking the German Enigma codes is estimated to have shortened the war by years. After the war, he designed the ACE, an early stored-program computer.

He also proposed the Turing Test (1950) as a criterion for machine intelligence, framing the philosophical debate around AI. His theoretical work created the entire discipline of computer science, making him the progenitor of the digital age.