Apple vs Aperture

Leaked image from Apple's new advertising campaign.

The New Turing Test

Even as we approach the point when a computer capable of passing the Turing Test finally starts to seem achievable, people are slowly starting to realize that this long-sought pinnacle of artificial intelligence might not be such a significant milestone after all. What would the benefit of a computer that can convincingly imitate a human being actually be? What could its practical applications be? Tricking people into joining dating sites? Spamming them? Stealing their personal information through phishing schemes?

The New Turing Test, one which has the potential to have a real positive impact on human civilization, is this: Can we create a computer capable of designing another computer more powerful than itself?