"AlphaGo" Then; "Zen" Now: The AI Game of Go

Only a few days ago, I reported you the feat of Google's AI Go software "AlphaGo" (DeepMind) over the current grandmaster of the game of Go by 4-1. That was a shocking phenomenon to those who know anything the history and complexity of the game - I say that again.

Welcome to another episode on what's happening in/on/to Japan. I'm your navigator, Nathan Shiga. Today's is a follow-up episode to the earlier story on AI vs. human in the game of Go.

Today, March 20, a group of 31 teams from 6 countries met in Tokyo for a battle of computer Go software programs. AlphaGo did not participate in the contest. Facebook's "darkforest" met Japan's "Zen" in the final and Zen triumphed. Zen has won twice in the past. The game turned out to be a fierce conflict right from the start and "darkforest" eventually resigned

The developer of Zen, Hideki Kato says:

"Every one of them was formidable and we barely made it. We are not sure of AlphaGo's strength but we want to develop one that will supersede it."

Tian Yuan dong, the developer of Facebook's "darkforest", believes Google has done a remarkable job in letting the world know what AI research amounts to and adds:

"We are a newcomer but will carry on our study to apply AI not only in the game of Go but in various other fields."

Zen is a focal point of attention in the field of artificial intelligence. Leading AI researchers and IT industries at home met the press on March 1 to announce their plan to launch an all-Japan project to develop the strongest computer software program good enough to outplay AlphaGo. Zen is expected to be its core and Dwango, leading video transmitter on the Internet, will provide research facilities.