Ada Lovelace (1815–1852), the Victorian-era mathematician daughter of the Romantic poet Lord Byron, is famous for her work with Charles Babbage on the Analytic Engine and is widely celebrated as the first computer programmer. Her work has been recognized over the years, and even though the bearing of her contribution has often been questioned, she has always been acknowledged as a pioneering figure by the Computer Science community. Recently she has been chosen as a symbol of the achievements of women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
Ada was worldwide celebrated on December 10th 2015, on the occasion of her 200th birthday, with workshops, meetings, and publications. In particular, ACM contributed with a book: an interdisciplinary collection of papers inspired by Ada's life, work, and legacy. The book covers Ada's collaboration with Babbage, her position in the Victorian and steampunk literature, her representation in contemporary art and comics, and her increasing relevance in promoting women in science and technology.
I here review the book, focusing in particular on Ada's visionary ideas of software, on her relation with Alan Turing and the inception of Artificial Intelligence.
