Defeated by A.I., a Legend in the Board Game Go Warns: Get Ready for What’s Next

🌈 Abstract

The article discusses the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the game of Go, as exemplified by the defeat of the world's top Go player, Lee Sedol, by the AI system AlphaGo. It explores the implications of this event and Lee Sedol's perspective on the changing nature of the game and the broader implications of AI for society.

🙋 Q&A

[01] Lee Sedol's Loss to AlphaGo

1. What was Lee Sedol's reaction to his loss against AlphaGo?

• Lee Sedol was surprised and shocked by his loss, as he had never thought he would lose to an AI opponent. He said "I didn't know that AlphaGo would play such a perfect Go."
• Lee Sedol felt that his "entire world was collapsing" after losing to AI, as it demonstrated the potential for AI to achieve superhuman mastery of skills once considered too complicated for machines.

2. How did Lee Sedol's loss to AlphaGo impact the Go community?

• Lee Sedol's loss was a "watershed moment in the history of A.I." and showed what AI systems that learn on their own from data are capable of.
• Other professional Go players were shocked by the loss and are now studying how the AI algorithms work in order to try to close the gap, but they acknowledge they are "a long way away" from matching the AI's capabilities.

3. What was the significance of the match between Lee Sedol and AlphaGo?

• The match between Lee Sedol and AlphaGo was a major public event, with over 200 million people watching in South Korea, China, and Japan. It demonstrated the potential of AI to master the highly complex game of Go, which was previously seen as too difficult for machines.
• The match showed that AI had achieved superhuman mastery of a skill once considered the domain of human creativity and intuition.

[02] Lee Sedol's Perspective on AI

1. How has Lee Sedol's perspective on AI evolved since his loss?

• After his loss, Lee Sedol became an "AI obsessive", following the rapid advancements in AI with both fascination and unease.
• He now lectures about AI, trying to warn others about the implications of AI and encourage them to become familiar with the technology, as he wishes he had done before his match against AlphaGo.

2. What are Lee Sedol's concerns about the impact of AI?

• Lee Sedol worries that AI may change what humans value, as "people used to be in awe of creativity, originality and innovation" but "a lot of that has disappeared" since the rise of AI.
• He is concerned about the future job market and the impact of AI on employment, though he acknowledges that AI may also create some new jobs.

3. How does Lee Sedol view the relationship between humans and AI?

• Lee Sedol recognizes that humans both created the game of Go and designed the AI system that mastered it. He does not view AI as a purely destructive force, but rather as a technology that has fundamentally changed the nature of the game he dedicated his life to.
• Lee Sedol is trying to help his daughter and others prepare for a future shaped by AI, advising them to choose careers and paths of study that may be less impacted by AI.