A master player of the Chinese strategy game, Go retired due to the rise of artificial intelligence that “cannot be defeated”.
Lee Se-dol is the only human to ever beat the AlphaGo software developed by Google’s sister company Deepmind.
In 2016, he took part in a five-match showdown against AlphaGo, losing four times but beating the computer once.
Lee said he had decided to retire after realising: “I’m not at the top even if I become the number one.”
“There is an entity that cannot be defeated,” the 18-time world Go champion told South Korea’s Yonhap news agency. The South Korean is one of the greatest Go players in the modern era.
The 36-year-old former world champion turned pro just seven years later after he started playing. He started the game at the age of five.
His defeat by the AlphaGo software is seen as a landmark moment for Artificial Intelligence.
AlphaGo was developed by Deepmind, which is owned by Google’s parent company Alphabet.
“On behalf of the whole AlphaGo team at DeepMind, I’d like to congratulate Lee Se-dol for his legendary decade at the top of the game, and wish him the very best for the future,” said Demis Hassabis, chief executive and co-founder of Deepmind.
“During the AlphaGo matches, he demonstrated true warrior spirit and kept us on the edges of our seats to the very end.”
Go originated in China 3,000 years ago, and has been played for centuries.
Also Read:
Take A Look At Google’s Stadia Cloud Game Service
Facebook’s Oculus Buys VR Game Maker “Beat Saber”
Tech Quiz Time! Test Your Knowledge With These Questions
GO Challenging
Two players take turns putting black or white stones on a 19-by-19 grid. Players win by taking control of the most territory on the board.
The board game is a much more complex challenge for a computer than chess.
A player typically has a choice of 200 moves, compared with about 20 in chess – and there are more possible positions in Go than atoms in the universe, according to researchers.
It can be very difficult to determine who is winning, and many of the top human players rely on instinct.
Deepmind hopes that the development of AlphaGo will lead to “similar techniques” that can be “applied to other structured problems, such as protein folding, reducing energy consumption or searching for revolutionary new materials”.
Despite retiring, Lee Se-dol is will play against another AI system in December. He will play against HanDol, a program developed by South Korea’s NHN Entertainment Corp, which has already defeated the country’s top five Go players.
Lee will have an advantage of two stones in the first game, but suspects he will lose.
“Even with a two-stone advantage, I feel like I will lose the first game to HanDol. These days, I don’t follow Go news. I wanted to play comfortably against HanDol as I have already retired, though I will do my best,” he said.
Make sure to follow Plat4om on Twitter @Plat4omLive, on Instagram @Plat4om, on LinkedIn at Plat4om, and on Facebook at Plat4om. You can also email us info@plat4om.com. Also, don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel HERE.