Artificial intelligence eventually surpassed humans in the ancient Chinese board game Go as Google’s computer program AlphaGo won 3-0 over South Korean Lee Sedol, the world Go champion in the past 10 years, dashing the remaining hopes for reversal in a historic five-game match.
AlphaGo, a computer program developed by Google’s London-based AI subsidiary DeepMind, won the third consecutive game in the match with Lee, one of the greatest Go players who has won 18 world championships for 21 years of his professional career.
The 33-year-old resigned as the computer program maintained an unassailable lead for more than four hours in the third match that was launched at 1 p.m. local time on Saturday at Four Seasons hotel in Seoul.
Lee’s defeat was a shock to the world as Go, known as weiqi in China and Baduk in South Korea, was viewed as the last game humans can dominate over machines. The match between Lee and AlphaGo was seen as a representative game between humans and AI.
Dashing hopes for reversal, AlphaGo took a 3-0 lead in the five-game match that kicked off on Wednesday and would last until next Tuesday. The fourth game will be held on Sunday in Seoul.
The AlphaGo’s developer will get 1 million U.S. dollars in prize, which will be donated to charities, regardless of whether Lee wins the two remaining games or not.
When Google's computer program AlphaGo defeated the world champion of Go in the past ten years, Lee Sedol from South Korea by a score of 3 to 0, artificial intelligence finally surpassed humans in traditional Chinese chess Go. At the same time, this result also destroyed the hope of mankind's attempt to reverse in this historic Goofan game.
AlphaGo is an artificial intelligence program developed by DeepMind, a subsidiary of Google in London, England, which has won three consecutive games against Lee Sedol. Lee Sedol is one of the most powerful Go players in the world. He has won 18 world championships in his 21-year career.
At the Four Seasons Hotel in Seoul, the computer program maintained an undisputed four-hour lead for the third game that started at 1 p.m. on Saturday. Then the 33-year-old Li Shishi announced his defeat.
The failure of Lee Sedol was a shock to the world of Go. Go was once considered to be the last game in which humans can dominate machines. The game between AlphaGo and Lee Sedol is also considered to be a representative showdown between artificial intelligence and humans.
After shattering the hope of mankind's comeback, AlphaGo took a 3-0 lead in the Goofan game that started on Wednesday. The game will continue until next Tuesday. The fourth game will be played in Seoul on Sunday.
Regardless of whether Li Shishi can win the remaining two games, AlphaGo's developers will win a prize of 1 million, which will be donated to charity.