Go grandmaster Shin Jin-seo has become the first human player to win a competitive series against KataGo, a leading artificial intelligence engine for the ancient board game. The victory, which concluded on July 21, represents a notable achievement in the ongoing human-AI rivalry, occurring nearly three decades after Deep Blue's landmark defeat of chess champion Garry Kasparov.
Go, originating in China, is one of the world's oldest and most complex board games. Its strategic depth and vast possibilities have made it a key area for machine learning research. The game involves players placing stones to surround territory and capture opponent pieces. Like chess, its intricate nature and extensive historical data have proven fertile ground for AI development.
Shin, a 26-year-old top-ranked player, secured a 2-1 win in the best-of-three series against KataGo, described by The Korea Economic Daily as the world's foremost AI Go engine. This achievement is particularly significant given the rapid advancements in AI technology since Google's AlphaGo decisively defeated Go grandmaster Lee Sedol ten years ago.
While Shin played with a standard two-stone handicap, a common practice in human-AI matches, he expressed a desire to compete against AI under more challenging conditions in the future. The final match lasted approximately three hours, a duration considered moderate for professional Go games, which can sometimes extend to six hours.
"I believe this series holds immense significance because it clearly demonstrated that humans can still hold their own against AI," Shin stated after the match. He reflected on his early strategy, noting that imitating AI moves initially led to difficult losses. "This series taught me that rather than trying to imitate AI, it is far more important to build the board according to my own style."