Reply to post: Whether it's AI or not is missing the point

Google DeepMind cyber-brain cracks tough AI challenge: Beating a top Go board-game player

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Whether it's AI or not is missing the point

The game of Go is a fantastic way to measure the advances in machine learning and artificial intelligence by. The rules are deceptively simple, but the board is large and the possible patterns and combinations are mind-numbing. You can learn the rules in an afternoon and then spend the rest of your days getting slowly better and better by playing and playing and playing and getting lessons and looking at pro games and reading book after book after book.

It is a truly remarkable achievement that Google's deepmind division has produced an artificial entity that once trained can beat a weak professional. I wouldn't say it is epoch-defining but it is a watershed. Go is the most difficult board game known too man. How could anyone belittle this feat?

The only worry I have is that we are creating competitive algorithms. Surely that's not in our interest? I think we should be using these algorithms to model societal phenomena so that they can aid us in producing better societies. Clearly at this point there is doubt that Humans+Algos>Humans therefore we should put them to work on solving social ills not playing games.

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