The ancient Chinese game Go is considered one of the most complicated strategy games ever invented. Winning the game was seen as a test of human creativity.
That is, until a machine found a way to do it better. AlphaGo, an artificial intelligence (AI) machine built by Google’s DeepMind, won its first match against South Korean Go grandmaster Lee Sedol on March 9.
So what is next for AI and humanity?
DARPA challenges – competitions run by the US Department of Defense – are an example of robots and AI being put to the test in the real world. Past DARPA challenges forced researchers to build robots that could walk up and down hills.
Some people have been arguing that AI is harmful to the human race. In an interview with the BBC, UK scientist Stephen Hawking warned that “the development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race”.
So are we really on the edge of living in the world shown in the Terminator sci-fi movies?
“Not quite,” answered The Economist. After all, it’s not hard to get a computer program to remember and produce facts. What is hard is getting computers to apply their knowledge to everyday situations. In the DARPA challenges, the Los Angeles Times noted, many robots “fell over like kids learning to walk”.
“We take for granted things like balance and vision,” Thomas Johnson, founder of a robotic company told the newspaper. “But for a robot, to walk up and down hills requires so many complicated decisions to be made in real time, and it’s really difficult to do.”
Or as The Economist put it: “We have a long way to go before AI’s capabilities truly begin to approach the human brain.”
“Ultimately, our fate is in our own hands,” he wrote. “Since technology depends on the values of its creators, we can make human choices that use technology to improve the world.”
21. Who defeated Go grandmaster?
A. AlphaGo B. Stephen Hawking C. Lee Sedol D. Terminator
22. How can an example of robots and AI win DARPA challenges?
A. They can walk like kids.
B. They can deal with things like balance and vision.
C. They can remember and produce facts.
D. They can walk in the real world.
23. According to the Economist, what can we conclude about AI?
A. It can beat human easily like AlphaGo.
B. Proper use of AI will help human to improve the world.
C. AI’s capabilities began to approach the human brain.
D. The development of AI could spell the end of the human race.