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Beyond chess: Computer beats human in ancient Chinese game

FILE - A player places a black stone while his opponent waits to place a white one as they play Go, a game of strategy, in the Seattle Go Center, Tuesday, April 30, 2002. The game, which originated in China more than 2,500 years ago, involves two players who take turns putting markers on a grid. The object is to surround more area on the board with the markers than one's opponent, as well as capturing the opponent's pieces by surrounding them. A paper released Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2016 describes how a computer program has beaten a human master at the complex board game, marking significant advance for development of artificial intelligence. (AP Photo/Cheryl Hatch)
FILE - A player places a black stone while his opponent waits to place a white one as they play Go, a game of strategy, in the Seattle Go Center, Tuesday, April 30, 2002. The game, which originated in China more than 2,500 years ago, involves two players who take turns putting markers on a grid. The object is to surround more area on the board with the markers than one's opponent, as well as capturing the opponent's pieces by surrounding them. A paper released Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2016 describes how a computer program has beaten a human master at the complex board game, marking significant advance for development of artificial intelligence. (AP Photo/Cheryl Hatch) FILE - A player places a black stone while his opponent waits to place a white one as they play Go, a game of strategy, in the Seattle Go Center, Tuesday, April 30, 2002. The game, which originated in China more than 2,500 years ago, involves two players who take turns putting markers on a grid. The object is to surround more area on the board with the markers than one's opponent, as well as capturing the opponent's pieces by surrounding them. A paper released Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2016 describes how a computer program has beaten a human master at the complex board game, marking significant advance for development of artificial intelligence. (AP Photo/Cheryl Hatch)

By Associated Press 1 min read

NEW YORK (AP) – A computer program has beaten a human champion at the ancient Chinese board game Go, marking a significant advance for development of artificial intelligence.

The program had taught itself how to win, and its developers say its learning strategy may someday let computers help solve real-world problems like making medical diagnoses and pursuing scientific research.

The program and its victory are described in a paper released Wednesday by the journal Nature.

The game Go originated in China more than 2,500 years ago. It involves two players who take turns putting markers on a checkerboard-like grid. The object is to surround more area on the board with the markers than one’s opponent, as well as capturing the opponent’s pieces by surrounding them.

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