Google's AlphaGo wins final Go game against Lee Sedol
Well, that's a wrap: Google's AlphaGo AI has won the fifth and final game of the Go exhibition match vs. multiple world champion Lee Sedol, with the final score being 4:1.
Even though AlphaGo made some mistakes early in the game, it was able to catch up and finally force Lee to resign in late stages of the game.
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The last two games of the five-game match weren't decisive, as AlphaGo took the victory after just three games, going 3:0 vs. the human champion. Lee Sedol was able to save face with a victory in the fourth match, saying he had found a "weakness" in AI's game, but he was obviously unable to find a surefire way to beat AlphaGo.
A press conference following the final game is due soon. Google previously said it will donate the $1 million prize to UNICEF, STEM and Go charities.
AlphaGo's surprising win -- prior to the match, Lee said he would probably be able to win 5:0 or 4:1 against the AI -- is a huge step forward for artificial intelligence. While AIs have been very good at chess, the Chinese game of Go presents a different challenge, as it has an enormous number of possibilities -- too many for any computer to calculate.
For an overview of why this win is so important, check out here.
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Topics Artificial Intelligence
Stan is a Senior Editor at Mashable, where he has worked since 2007. He's got more battery-powered gadgets and band t-shirts than you. He writes about the next groundbreaking thing. Typically, this is a phone, a coin, or a car. His ultimate goal is to know something about everything.
