Google’s AlphaGo AI defeats team of five leading Go players

Are five human heads better than one computer brain? Not when it comes to playing Go. AlphaGo, the AI created to play the game of Go better than anyone alive, has defeated a team made up of five Go champions in a demonstration match on Friday.

The team included Chen Yaoye, Zho Ruiyang, Mi Yuting, Shi Yue and Tang Weixing, and on the AlphaGo side – just AlphaGo, obviously. The match ended when the human players resigned in the face of AlphaGo’s certain victory.

Another demo match on Friday saw a human/AlphaGo team take on another human/AlphaGo team, this time with Gu Li and the AI going head-to-head with Lian Xiao and his own artificial teammate. Lian Xiao and his AlphaGo companion ended up victorious, also forcing a resignation from the opposing side.

Commentators noted that the human players seemed to be enjoying observing and studying AlphaGo’s moves, and adapting their own play as a result. That’s basically what Eric Schmidt celebrated in a tweet, embedded below, and Google’s own social media accounts are echoing similar sentiments.

This speaks volumes about where AI is headed – human players are teaming up with AlphaGo to have even more fun with the game! https://t.co/42X58NvEga

— Eric Schmidt (@ericschmidt) May 26, 2017

All of which is to say: Don’t panic, AIs are our friends!

…for now.