In 1770, an Austrian inventor unveiled a machine called the Turk—a wooden automaton that could supposedly play chess and win.

A closer look

In 1770, an Austrian inventor unveiled a machine called the Turk—a wooden automaton that could supposedly play chess and win. Crowds gasped as it beat nobles and generals. The secret? A cramped chess master hiding inside. For decades, the illusion shaped Europe’s idea of mechanized intelligence. That hoax planted the seed for every debate we have now about AI and human imitation. History repeats not through events but through desires: the wish to believe that metal can think. The Turk proved less about deception and more about imagination—the same story reborn centuries later with chatbots impressing or alarming us today. Humanity’s first algorithmic fantasy was built from wood, gears, and one sweaty, crouching man.