Christopher Strachey (1916-1975) was a British computer scientist and one of the pioneers in the field of artificial intelligence ([[AI]]). He made significant contributions to computer programming languages and compiler design and is known for his work on formal semantics. Strachey was born on November 16, 1916, in Hampstead, London. He came from an academic family, with his father being a professor of physics. He attended Trinity College, Cambridge, where he studied mathematics and later became a research student under the supervision of Alan Turing. During World War II, Strachey worked at Bletchley Park, the code-breaking center for the British government. Here he was involved in decrypting German codes and worked alongside other renowned mathematicians and computer scientists. After the war, Strachey returned to Cambridge University as a lecturer in mathematics and began exploring the emerging field of computers. In 1951, he helped establish the Programming Research Group at Cambridge University's Mathematical Laboratory. He went on to develop one of the first high-level programming languages called "MAD" ([[Manchester Autocode]]), which greatly simplified programming tasks. Strachey's most significant contribution to AI came through his work on natural language processing (NLP). He developed an influential program called "Turing Test" that simulated conversation between a human interrogator and a computer program. This test aimed to evaluate whether a machine could exhibit intelligent behavior indistinguishable from that of a human. In addition to his technical contributions, Strachey was known for his wit and humor. He often entertained colleagues with his playful puns and humorous remarks during conferences and seminars. Christopher Strachey passed away on May 18, 1975, at the age of 58. His work continues to inspire researchers in various areas of computer science, particularly in programming languages and AI. # References ```dataview Table title as Title, authors as Authors where contains(subject, "Christopher Strachey") or contains(authors, "Christopher Strachey") ```