An algorithm that learns, tabula rasa, superhuman proficiency in challenging domains. AlphaGo Zero after 36 hours
It is usual to distinguish between biological and machine intelligence, and for good reason: organisms have interacted with the world for millennia and survived, machines are a recent human construction, and until recently there was no reason to consider them capable of intelligent behaviour.
Computers changed the picture somewhat, but until very recently artificial intelligence has been tried, and proved disappointing. As computers and programs increased in power and speed a defensive trope developed: a computer will never write a poem/enjoy strawberries/understand the wonder of the universe/play chess/have an original thought.
When IBM’s Deep Blue beat Kasparov there was a moment of silence. The best that could be proffered as an excuse was that chess was an artificial world in which reality was bounded, and subject to rules. At this point, from a game playing point of view, Go with its far greater complexity seemed an avenue of salvation for human pride. When AlphaGo beat Lee Seedol at Go, humans ran out of excuses. Not all of them. Some were able to retaliate: it’s only a game: real problems are more fuzzy than that.
Perhaps. Here is the paper. For those interested in the sex ratio in forefront of technology, there are 17 authors, and I previously assumed that one was a woman, but no, all 17 are men.
drive.google.com/file/d/1...xWScpxDR/view?usp=sharing
AlphaGo used supervised learning. It had some very clever teachers to help it along the way. AlphaGo Zero reinforced itself.
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