DeepMind in AI Breakthrough With Smarter Version of AlphaGo
AlphaZero plays Go and chess at levels that defeat humans and the best existing programs
By Clive Cookson
DeepMind, the London-based artificial intelligence company, has announced two research successes — the strongest game-playing AI so far and the world’s most powerful predictor of the shape of protein molecules — as it returns to its scientific roots after agreeing to transfer its health division to parent company Google.
In the journal Science, DeepMind presents AlphaZero, a development of its celebrated AlphaGo machine. With no prior knowledge or data input beyond the rules of the game, AlphaZero taught itself to play not only Go but also chess and shogi (Japanese chess) at a level that defeated all human players and the best existing game-playing computer programs.
Chess masters enthused about AlphaZero not only as a winner but also for its dynamic and unconventional style. “It was fascinating to see how AlphaZero’s analysis differed from the top chess engines and even top grandmaster play,” said Natasha Regan, Women’s International Master.
Garry Kasparov, the former world chess champion famously beaten in 1997 by IBM’s DeepMind, wrote an editorial in Science praising…
