Google develops AI that learns by itself
Program simulates board game to work out how to play without being taught

Google-owned artificial intelligence (AI) firm DeepMind has developed a new software program that learned by itself how to play the ancient Chinese strategy game Go in just three days.
Called AlphaGo Zero - after the AlphaGo programme that defeated a champion of the game in 2015 - the AI software simulated matches against itself to learn from its mistakes, says UK-based DeepMind.
The AI is so powerful that, having been told only the rules of Go, it derived thousands of years of human knowledge of the game before inventing better moves of its own.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
And the software could be reprogrammed to discover information in other fields, such as “drug discovery” and “particle physics”, says The Verge.
DeepMind’s chief executive, Demis Hassabis, told BBC News: “We’re quite excited because we think this is now good enough to make some real progress on some real problems, even though we’re obviously a long way from full AI”.
Project leader David Silver told the news site that he hopes AI programs similar to AlphaGo Zero can be used for “advancing the frontiers of science and medicine”.
But while such technology could solve some serious global problems, humanity needs to “keep a close eye on the ethical dilemmas” that come with a machine that can think for itself, warns BBC technology reporter Rory Cellan-Jones.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
However, there are “ few signs that AlphaGo Zero and its ilk will either steal our jobs or threaten to make humanity obsolete”, for now, at least, he adds.
-
Marisa Silver’s 6 favorite books that capture a lifetime
Feature The author recommends works by John Williams, Ian McEwan, and more
-
Book reviews: ‘We the People: A History of the U.S. Constitution’ and ‘Will There Ever Be Another You’
Feature The many attempts to amend the U.S. Constitution and Patricia Lockwood’s struggle with long Covid
-
Philadelphia’s Calder Gardens
Feature A permanent new museum
-
Supersized: The no-limit AI data center build-out
Feature Tech firms are investing billions to build massive AI data centers across the U.S.
-
Digital addiction: the compulsion to stay online
In depth What it is and how to stop it
-
AI workslop is muddying the American workplace
The explainer Using AI may create more work for others
-
Prayer apps: is AI playing God?
Under The Radar New chatbots are aimed at creating a new generation of believers
-
Is the UK government getting too close to Big Tech?
Today’s Big Question US-UK tech pact, supported by Nvidia and OpenAI, is part of Silicon Valley drive to ‘lock in’ American AI with US allies
-
Google: A monopoly past its prime?
Feature Google’s antitrust case ends with a slap on the wrist as courts struggle to keep up with the tech industry’s rapid changes
-
Albania’s AI government minister: a portent of things to come?
In The Spotlight A bot called Diella has been tasked with tackling the country's notorious corruption problem
-
South Korea's divide over allowing Google Maps
Talking Points The country is one of few modern democracies where the app doesn't work