--- title: "In Latest Sign of Dot Com Style Bubble, Startup “Hires” Goofy AI Version of Alan Turing" description: "An education tech startup has \"hired\" an AI avatar of the late computer science pioneer Alan Turing as a made-up executive." date: "2024-05-04" modified: "2024-05-04" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/startup-hires-alan-turing-chatbot" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" tags: - "ai chatbots" - "alan turing" - "EdTech" - "Startups" --- # In Latest Sign of Dot Com Style Bubble, Startup “Hires” Goofy AI Version of Alan Turing ![An education tech startup has "hired" an AI avatar of the late computer science pioneer Alan Turing as a made-up executive.]() *\Image: @AlanTuring\_AI via X\* An education tech startup has "hired" an AI avatar of the late computer science pioneer Alan Turing as a made-up executive, in what seems like a sure sign that the [AI bubble]() has jumped the proverbial shark. In a deeply self-congratulatory [press release](), the so-called Genius Group announced that it had appointed the Turing avatar as its "chief AI officer." In the statement, the company kept referring to the chatbot as quote-unquote "Alan Turing." Said to have been trained on the English mathematician's "style, expertise and body of work," the chatbot also, apparently, is an expert in all things Genius Group. "Genius Group have \[sic\] also pre-programmed their 'Alan Turing' AI Avatar with the strategies, product plans, AI technology and data of the company," the long-winded press release reads. https://twitter.com/rogerhamilton/status/1782876879495561534 The stunt puts Genius Group's name out there in a manner quite reminiscent of the [dot-com bubble]() of the late 90s and early 2000s, when companies would do [just about anything]() for a bit of attention as the market grew more and more oversaturated — until, of course, it went bust. Like the [Pets.com sock puppet of yore](), the Turing avatar is clearly an attempt to boost the firm's footprint amid choppy yet competitive waters. Indeed, Genius Group has fallen significantly from its 2022 IPO, when shares were going for [$30 apiece](), to its laughably low [40 cents per share]() valuation today. To make the matter all the goofier, *Futurism* found when testing out the chatbot that although it had a [yassified version]() of Turing in the [now-viral video]() promoting the stunt, the actual experience of chatting with it is incredibly generic. Unlike Catholic Answers' defrocked [AI priest avatar](), chatting with the TuringBot is a lot like [using ChatGPT](), though when sifting through a [company white paper]() that was, per its byline, penned by the chatbot, it was mighty unclear what framework Genius Group used to create its AI. Interestingly enough, when we asked the chatbot if it had written the paper creepily titled "Preparing for a Post Turing Test World," it denied that it had. ![]() In a particularly strange twist given its namesake, the bot also told us that it wasn't sure if it could pass a Turing test. ![]() We've reached out to Genius Group about these odd responses and to ask what tools it used to build out the TuringBot. All told, you should probably ignore the hype about this extremely run-of-the-mill chatbot — which feels, to be honest, like an allegory of sorts for the whole industry. **More on AI stunts:** [*Pricey AI "Device" Turns Out to Just Be an Android App With Extra Steps*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()