Game Over: Man vs AI Machine

In 1997, we got our first glimpse of what it feels like when computers have their own Artificial Intelligence. The world watched world champion Gary Kasparov lose his fighting spirit at the game he dominated for years.

Imagine the shockwaves that traveled through the crowd as Kasparov resigned, conceding the victory to a non-living opponent. It sparked a debate that still rages on: Can machines think? More importantly, can they outthink us? What do we mean when we say a machine is intelligent?

Understanding Intelligence

For us humans, it's a combination of our ability to learn, reason, solve problems, think abstractly, comprehend complex ideas, and adapt to new situations. Can we apply the same standards to a machine?

Intelligence is not about knowing facts but about dealing with complexity and ambiguity.

In 1950, Alan Turing proposed the Turing test to evaluate a machine's ability to exhibit intelligent behavior equivalent to, or indistinguishable from, a human's.

But the world of artificial intelligence took a different path. Rather than trying to replicate the exact processes of human intelligence, researchers aimed to build a machine that could match or even surpass human performance in a specific task - in this case, playing chess.

If scientists are going to build intelligent machines that think, they have to decide what "intelligent" and "think" mean.

But why chess? Why did researchers choose this particular game to prove a machine's intelligence?

Chess: The Intellectual Battleground

In chess, the best human players aren’t doing math. It comes down to logic, strategy, knowledge of past games, and feeling out your opponent’s style. To be good at chess, you have to possess some form of intelligence—even if you’re a machine.

A chess game requires strategic planning, positional understanding, and tactical sharpness - qualities typically associated with human intelligence.

So, the answer lies in the style and complexity of the game itself.

1. Chess is a game of perfect information, where all pieces and possible moves are visible, making it an ideal testbed for algorithms.
2. The strategic planning and foresight needed in chess can showcase a machine's ability to mimic human-like decision-making.
3. Chess has objective rules and clear outcomes, eliminating the need for subjective judgment.
4. Chess has been associated with intellectual prowess for centuries. If a machine could defeat the world chess champion, it would send a powerful message about the potential of AI.

Alan Turing wrote the first chess program before there was even a computer powerful enough to run it. Deep Blue was also built at a time when machine learning was not as advanced as it is today, and the necessary computing power was limited.

Man vs Machine

Game year: 1996

IBM wanted to prove it was still a leader. Building the world’s smartest computer and competing against the Chess World Champion was a perfect PR coup. Their machine Deep Blue pitched against the world champion. The human champion emerged victorious, with a 3-1 score.

Yet, in the weeks after the 1996 match, IBM’s stock rose almost 20%.

Game year: 1997

The stage was set for a rematch. In 1997, a retooled and upgraded machine returned to challenge.?The man chose anti-computer chess, a conservative yet long-term strategy against the machine's calculating advantage.

Despite the risky approach, he won the first game. However, things changed in the second game.

“It’s a machine. At the end of the day, it’s stupid.” said Kasparov, after the first match.

The IBM team worked through the night and whatever they fixed, DeepBlue performed like a grandmaster on second game.

On move 36, Kasparov laid a trap by sacrificing two pawns and expected the computer to move its queen to attack them. He knew that computers focus on short-term advantages. But after 15 minutes of processing, to everyone's surprise, the machine ignored the sacrifice and made a move that crippled Kasparov's game.

If it takes intelligence to play great chess, then move 36 proved that Deep Blue had it.

Deep Blue emerged victorious at the end of the series with a score of 2-1.

Human Intelligence vs Artificial Intelligence

The 'Man vs Machine' matches were more than just a game, more about what the game revealed about intelligence, both human and artificial. It was a landmark event in the development of Artificial Intelligence. It raised important questions about what intelligence truly means.

Deep Blue demonstrated a different approach to solving complex problems. In one second, Deep Blue could evaluate 200 million positions, which would take a human about 380 years to achieve. However, its method was purely computational, using a decision tree to look ahead many moves and explore possible combinations.

Although impressive, this computational approach lacked the creativity, intuition, and emotional understanding that humans bring to problem-solving. Also, AI systems are still a "black box," lacking the ability to explain their thought processes.

The games like chess allow players to know everything about their opponent's position; this is called a complete information game. Real-world problems are not like that. Human intelligence and the way of thinking differ from machines in several ways.

1. Human intelligence is more generalized and adaptable. Humans can learn and apply knowledge from one domain to another
2. Humans can perceive and interpret the world around them using all of their senses, while machines primarily rely on sensors and data inputs.
3. Human thinking is often non-linear and intuitive, while machines rely on algorithms and logical rules.
4. Humans can learn from experience and improve their decision-making, while machines require updates or reprogramming to improve their performance.

Ultimately, as computers continue to outperform humans in many areas, we may need to redefine what it means to be intelligent.

Conclusion:

The 'Man vs Machine' chess match was a symbolic event that marked the beginning of a new era in AI, where the line between human and machine intelligence continues to blur.

After the historic feat, Deep Blue was taken apart, and its components are now exhibited at the National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. and the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California. IBM scholars had proven their point.

As always, machine’s triumph was a human triumph.

Gary Kasparov made peace with AI and became a prominent commentator and writer on the topic of AI. He has spoken extensively on the potential benefits and risks of AI, advocating for responsible development and deployment of these technologies.

He worked with several companies to develop new chess programs, and helped to develop the concept of "Advanced Chess," where players use computer programs as "coaches" during games.

His ideas are neat, his opinions are bold and his understanding of machine intelligence is much better than that most of business professionals out there.

I always want to quote Pablo Picasso who said computers are useless because they can only give you answers and the search begins with the question. If we are looking for new ideas, new horizons we have to find the right questions. Here machines are not very helpful yet.

Want to read more about Gary Kasparov? Start with these links

Read: One Big Loss for a Man, One Giant Win for Mankind

Watch: Gary Kasparov's thoughts on AI and the future.