Google’s AI to face its greatest Go challenge yet: the best player on earth

Google’s AI software AlphaGo shocked the world earlier this year when it beat Go grandmaster Lee Sedol. Now AlphaGo is set to take on an even tougher challenge in a face-off with Ke Jie, the best player in the world.

GBTimes reports that Ke has agreed to take on AlphaGo later this year. He initially said he wouldn’t play against Google’s AI. The 18-year-old Chinese prodigy had claimed he was better than AlphaGo and didn’t want to give the software a chance to copy his style. However, after watching it crush Lee Sedol, he changed his tune.

The team behind AlphaGo presumably jumped at the opportunity to play against Ke, but the final details haven’t been sorted out yet. The match should take place later this year assuming Ke doesn’t change his mind.

Go, an ancient board game which requires both strategy and intuition, is considered to be one of the ultimate benchmarks for artificial intelligence. The number of possible positions is higher than the number of observable atoms in the universe, making it extremely tough for AI. Google’s DeepMind cracked the code years before anyone expected, but whether AlphaGo can beat the current world champion remains to be seen.