Go legend Lee Se-dol becomes professor at UNIST: 'I will teach how to harmonize with AI'
Professor Lee Se-dol speaks during a press conference marking his appointment as a special professor at UNIST’s engineering building in Ulju County, Ulsan, Friday. Coutresy of UNIST
Lee Se-dol, the only human to defeat artificial intelligence in the game of go, has begun teaching gifted science students as a special professor at Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST).
Starting this semester, Lee joined the Department of Mechanical Engineering at UNIST as a special appointment professor and held a press conference at the university, Friday. Reflecting on his iconic 2016 match against AlphaGo, Lee said he hopes to help students develop problem-solving skills and innovative thinking that will equip them to lead in the age of AI.
"AI is not a competitor, but a partner we can collaborate with," Lee said. "Through working with AI, we can break free from the constraints we impose on ourselves."
This semester, Lee is teaching a course titled "Board game design for scientists," in which students conceptualize and build their own board games. The class encourages logical thinking and creativity, with go also being a key part of the curriculum. Through the game, students are exposed to complex problems and learn to develop solutions. "I want to go beyond teaching technique and instead help students gain insight into how humans and AI can coexist," he said.
Lee added, “Although I strived to play creative go, I had fixed ideas I wasn’t even aware of. It was only through competing and cooperating with AlphaGo that I was able to break those mental constraints — and I want to share that experience.”
Lee, who debuted as a professional go player at age 12, dominated the international ggo scene for 24 years and four months before retiring in 2019. In March 2016, he became the only person to score a win against Google DeepMind’s AlphaGo during their historic five-game match. No human has defeated a go-playing AI since.
His decision to join a science and technology university has drawn significant attention. Lee said he chose to step into the classroom to "give students an opportunity to foster creative and daring thinking."
This move also aligns with UNIST’s broader goal of transforming its educational and research environment to meet the challenges of the AI era. On Friday, the university introduced plans for its new “AI Smart Campus,” which will incorporate AI technology across all areas of education, research, and administration.
UNIST President Park Chong-rae said the school aims to equip all students, regardless of major, with fundamental AI knowledge. The school will also create an AI-assisted learning environment with small language models (SLMs) and autonomous laboratories. "We plan to implement a system in which every student uses generative AI, and we will realize the AI Smart Campus together with Professor Lee," Park said.
Lee’s match with AlphaGo sparked wide-ranging social discussions about the relationship between humans and AI. While some view AI as a threat to jobs, others express concern over excessive dependence. During his three-year tenure at UNIST, Lee plans to contribute to ongoing conversations about AI through go and AI convergence research.
"Beyond go, we must prepare to utilize AI-created outcomes in fields such as art and technology, while also enhancing uniquely human capabilities that distinguish us from machines," Lee said.
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.