Lee Sedol, 9-dan, attending a special dialogue hosted by Seoul National University's Department of Science Studies and the Korean Society for the Study of Science and Technology on March 5th, celebrating the 10th anniversary of the AlphaGo match [Photo by Hong Joon-seok]

"Artificial intelligence (AI) is simply a god."

At a special dialogue hosted by Seoul National University's Department of Science Studies and the Korean Society for the Study of Science and Technology on March 5th, commemorating the 10th anniversary of the 'AlphaGo match,' Lee Sedol, 9-dan, described AI's Go skills with these words.

"I've played Go for 30 years, and it's possible that AI could play better than me, or I could lose to it," he said. "However, I never imagined I wouldn't even be able to comprehend AI's Go."

He added, "From around 2020 onwards, it's become difficult to even hope for (victory against AI)," and "It's even challenging to question the moves made by AI."

Lee, 9-dan, also revealed that professional Go players have changed their approach to the game, learning opening strategies through AI.

"From a human perspective, Go is infinite, but from a computer's perspective, it is not," he explained. "At some point, I began to think that Go, the only perfect abstract strategy game created by humanity, should be approached from an educational perspective."

 Lee Sedol, 9-dan, making the first move in his third match against AlphaGo on March 12, 2016 [Yonhap News]

In March 2016, Lee, 9-dan, was the 'human representative' in the 'Google DeepMind Challenge Match' against AlphaGo.

Go, known for requiring intuition, creativity, and flexibility, was considered humanity's domain until then, and most experts predicted Lee's superiority.

However, the 'match of the century' concluded with Lee losing 1 game to 4, and it was regarded as a 'singularity' that proved AI was beginning to surpass humanity.

Indeed, as the competition to develop large language models (LLMs) intensified in 2018, AI progressed at a rapid pace, and with the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022, generative AI became a general-purpose technology akin to electricity.

Conversely, some sought hope that there would always be a domain exclusive to humans, stemming from Lee's single victory, which they termed a 'divine move,' amidst AI's advancements.

 Lee Sedol, 9-dan, leaving the match hall after conceding the game (bulgyeseung) to AlphaGo on March 13, 2016 [Yonhap News]

Lee, 9-dan, also stated, "I think AI investment is made to solve difficult problems on behalf of humans," adding, "It is a tool that helps humans overcome limitations and advance to a higher level."

Lee, 9-dan, also shared his thoughts on his upcoming reunion with AI on the 9th. On the same day as his first match against AlphaGo ten years ago, and at the same venue, he will be conceptualizing 'Go of the Future' with Enhance's Agentic AI.

Lee, 9-dan, commented, "While it might be possible to create an application using Agentic AI (autonomous AI) and play a game (at this event), it's difficult to call it a formal match." He continued, "However, from the perspective of having experienced this technology beforehand, I've certainly felt that we've reached an era where programs like AlphaGo can be created in about 20 to 30 minutes. It's an incredibly astonishing development."