Has Artificial Intelligence Outwitted Humans?

Googles AlphaGo computer system defeated South Koreas Go grandmaster Lee Se Dol 4 to 1 in March， marking a historic milestone for computer programmers and artificial intelligence （AI） researchers. The match between Googles computer software and Lee， who topped the worlds Go player ranking from 2007 to 2011， attracted attention from the world as they competed for a $1-million prize.

Mastery of Go， an ancient East Asian board game， has long been regarded as a real challenge for AI given its complexity and number of options for “moves.” According to experts， that means that the technology must be capable of human-like “intuition” in order to prevail over human players.

While applauding the advancement of technology， questions also arise. Does the victory imply that computers will outwit humans more generally？ Some worry that in the future humankind might even be “enslaved” by computers or robots， as computers are already able to succeed in tasks that humankind will never be able to accomplish.

Yet others argue that although AlphaGo has won a sweeping victory in this contest， this event does not mean that human intelligence is inferior to AI， because after all， AlphaGo and its technology competitors were created by a team of human science and technology experts. The software is incapable of thinking purely by itself and depends on human experts for a variety of tasks. Therefore， AlphaGos achievement is actually a monument to human inventiveness.

Pondering implications

Yang Linlin （Baijia.baidu.com）： Go is seen as a complex game of profound meaning， and sometimes it is even raised to the level of philosophy and military theory. This time， despite the fact that the AlphaGo system did not win a complete success， its strong calculating ability is already shocking enough. More importantly， the significance of this game reaches far beyond who won.

Go is most popular in East Asian countries like China， South Korea and Japan， and its popularity seems generally confined to this region. There were worries that this sport might disappear on the international stage in the near future； however， the Lee-AlphaGo match has steered worldwide attention to Go， making this game better known around the world.

The victory of AlphaGo unveils how fast AI is growing. Lee revealed some of the AlphaGo systems obvious advantages over humankind： When it was squeezed into an unfavorable condition， AlphaGo remained psychologically unfazed and stayed focused， which is different from common human reactions. This advantage is persuading many that， although AI is unable to completely trounce human players in this game for the time being， it is only a matter of time before it will totally surpass humans.

There are also concerns that， should computer software outwit human intelligence， humankind might be ruled by computers. Imagination even goes as far to speculate that human beings could be made into slaves in a computer “empire，” as some science works have depicted. This is a groundless worry， because it is human beings that create the computer software. Its reasonable to feel happy about the result of this match. We are fully confident that， in the near future， a lot of problems that elude humankind will be solved by computers.

Pan En （Sports.163.com）： After Lee was defeated by AlphaGo， many people began to worry about human beings common dignity. Chess games have always been regarded as a typical knowledge-based activity and world chess masters are seen as a symbol of human wisdom. Today， however， a human grandmaster is giving way to computer software. Does this mean that AI has outpaced human intelligence？

The fact is that AlphaGo was created by human experts， and its abilities were designed by humans. The computer system may beat a human grandmaster， but does it have indepen-dent thinking and wisdom？ Does the computer have will， emotions， inspiration， etc.？

Its too early to judge if AI has surpassed human intelligence just because Lee lost the match to AlphaGo. The victory sealed by AlphaGo is simply another example of human beings cleverness and the rapid progress of computer science and technology. Even if a software system has defeated human beings in one area， this does not mean they automatically possess all the knowledge of human beings， but it shows that they， as super tools， can do some things better than their creators.

The match between Lee and AlphaGo is just a show， having nothing to do with human dignity. Everyone involved in this game has something to benefit. Goolges AlphaGo computer software swiftly rose to fame， while Lee also gained in reputation. Any understanding of this match as a blow on human dignity is narrow-minded.

Getting prepared

Tian Wenzhi （Opinion.people.com. cn）： The game between the AI program and the human player is ultimately a contest between human beings. To be specific， it is a fight between a single human beings intelligence and the intelligence created by a hi-tech team on the basis of sophisticated science and technology.

The attention should be directed to the team behind AlphaGo， and even the company and the countrys science and technology strategy， rather than the computer system itself. More importantly， we should get to know how far China is lagging behind its counterparts in this field.

Innovation is a powerful driving force for a countrys overall development. The level of a nations frontier strategic technologies represents its competitiveness on the global stage， shaping its future prospects.

Yu Sibian （Peoples Daily）： Computer systems have been used to beat human players in other chess games， but Go is a more complex game in terms of moves， strategies， etc.， and was thus seen as the hardest game for AI to crack. Googles AlphaGo computer system sealed a victory over the worlds top player， Lee， in the recent Go game. This is the first time that a human player has been beaten by a computer system， shocking the world.

Coincidentally， at the 2016 Winter Davos Forum， AI was a hot topic among those from the commercial and technological circles. Experts have unveiled future prospects for AI： It is likely to serve as a foundation for the next round of industrial revolution. Thanks to new technology， robots will be able to read articles， as well as understand human language and even human emotions. Robots of the next generation are likely to possess the ability to study independently as humans do. The application of AI in human life will change our way of working and the working environment.

However， there are also concerns over its rapid progress. More and more intelligent robots will increase humans dependence on them and eventually whether or not human beings can bring them under control will also become a problem.

Actually， the panic is unnecessary. AI has already been widely applied， and we are benefiting from it in various aspects of life， such as automatic speech and image recognition technology. Also， robots are doing assembly work accurately and tirelessly. There is still a big gap between the current level of AI and our imagination. We should explore and embrace this technology， rather than be worried about it.

While enjoying the convenience and benefits brought about by robots， human beings need to think about how to get along with them ahead of time. Legislation practices in the countries and regions employing highly developed robot technologies have already started， with a view toward solving possible ethical problems brought by AI and robots. China is at the primary stage of doing so， and we also need to prepare for potential risks， before our technological creations cause any headaches.