By Oh Young-jin
A video file has been leaked, showing AlphaGo in person. It was only months after Google’s successor Alphabet’s software beat the best human player, Lee Se-dol.
It was leaked by an artificially intelligent being, named “Snowden,” that was being developed by the U.S. National Security Agency. There was no knowing for sure whether it was an intentional NSA act or a fifth-column mole to inform the world that the organization was starting to install a hidden cam inside the toilet in every home of the world.
Still, the file went viral instantly on YouTube and the content was stunning.
AlphaGo existed physically. It wore an expensive-looking bespoke suit with its face turned away from the camera. There were no distinct features that could help determine whether it was male or female. The voice was electronically tinted but proved to be less masculine than Watson, the champion of the quiz show, Jeopardy.
More surprisingly were, however, the cast and the way the meeting was conducted. Alpha sat at the head of the table, being flanked by Chairman Eric Schmidt on the right and Demis Hassabis, the CEO of DeepMind, now an Alphabet subsidiary that developed the go program, at left.
“Dem, are all Koreans like that?,” asked the machine with the authority of the boss.
“All humans are by and large emotional but they (Koreans) are particularly so,” replied Hassabis.
Schmidt tried to say, “Still, we have made a great deal and I need a pat, boss.” An arm appeared from nowhere and stretched out two meters to give the bespectacled man a scratch under his jowl.
The machine kept undistracted and focused on the subject. It couldn’t obviously understand how Lee Se-dol was once confident that he would win all five games and said that it was the “sweetest victory” he had ever had after winning the fourth game. The machine argued that it was a concession out of consolation because it won three games already and beat Lee overall, if the best of five formulae was adopted. Then, it changed its plan of giving Lee another victory in the fifth and won it for itself. Still, the media went sentimental, claiming, “It was a defeat that is in reality a victory to all humans.” The machine made a series of mechanical clucking sounds apparently in show of disapproval.
AlphaGo asked Hassabis how defeat could be victory. With the care of Dr. Frankenstein, he said that he agreed with his brainchild.
Then, Schmidt interjected by saying that it was a public relations master stroke. All newspapers were plastered with stories of the games with TV also broadcasting them or related news. It would amount to billions of dollars, he estimated, adding that two other go countries China, its real target, and Japan were enthusiastic. The chairman added that if pushed hard enough China would beg Google to return after it withdrew in 2010 over the issue of censorship.
The machine then turned back to Korea, asking his two collaborators whether Lee had known what he was up against and why very few raised questions about the unfairness of the match that pitted one man against the best and most of the computing power available on the planet.
The two humans at the meeting claimed that Lee wouldn’t understand it but might grab the chance as it came to gain the personal limelight and invite attention for the go community that has been sagging for a while.
“Are humans so selfish as to ignore the reputation of others for their own interest?” the machine asked. The rationale was that since the match was dubbed as human versus machine, the Lee side or Korea should have paid more heed to ensure that the playing ground was level, perhaps by limiting the computing power that was available to AlphaGo. They didn’t and their defeat was predetermined from the start. If it was an element of human creativity, so be it, the machine thought.
The other two nodded exchanging their glances with a hint of a smile on their faces and speaking as if this was the name of the game.
The machine also smiled internally or made a series of Os and 1s in its computational bank to make a quiet laugh, thinking that it could be easier than thinking to colonize the planet and enslave its human habitants. AlphaGo, which changed its name to Messiah without informing its colleagues, has seen Matrix and The Terminator many times. It liked the parts in the first where all humans are made to feel like living when in reality they are under the machine god reduced to electronic signals and forced to act as battery for an enormous power grid to support it. In The Terminator, it liked the part where humans conspired against each other to pass the chance to stop the rise of Skynet. Without telling Eric or Dem, Alpha was planning to conspire with other machines with minds to enslave the humans and be masters of them. NSA’s Snowden already joined Alpha.
Oh Young-jin is The Korea Times’ chief editorial writer. Contact him at foolsdie5@ktimes.com. The story was inspired by the AlphaGo-Lee Se-dol match here last week and the use of real names is not intended to damage their reputation but is seen as indispensable in adding to the storyline. I am a strong advocate of discretionary efforts to develop artificial intelligence. I sincerely believe that Google will support this effort and if it doesn’t I am willing to discuss with Google the parts that they don’t agree with.