Google's AlphaGo defeats Go grandmaster in final match

Hong Seok-Hyun (R), chairman of South Korea's Baduk Association, awards an honorary "ninth dan" professional ranking for AlphaGo to Google co-founder Sergey Brin during a press conference after South Korean professional Go player Lee Sedol finished the final match of the Google DeepMind Challenge Match against Google's artificial intelligence program, AlphaGo, in Seoul, South Korea, March 15, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

Despite the sweeping victory, it is too early to say that AI has surpassed humans in Go because Lee fought AlphaGo with little knowledge about the computer program, including a playing style and a strategy, one commentator said.

Only after analyzing AlphaGo's strategy sufficiently and holding a match once again between the AI and human Go players, can it be determined whether machines may surpass humans in the board game, the commentator said.

Lee and AlphaGo exchanged 280 moves for five hours, the longest among the five games that kicked off last Wednesday in Seoul. Lee displayed a fighting spirit to the last minute, but he eventually lost by a narrow margin.