Google’s artificial intelligence program, AlphaGo, beat Chinese Go master Ke Jie for a second time on Thursday. The AI has now secured a series win, with a lead of 2-0, in a best of three series meant to test the capabilities of AI programs in competing against humans.
This is AlphaGo’s second victory against a professional Go player, with the AI program, developed by Google’s Deepmind, beating South Korean professional Lee Sedol last year. Many AI researchers believed this feat would not be achieved for years given the complexity of the Asian game.
Go master Ke Jie will play AlphaGo in the third and final match of the series on Saturday.
Go is a highly complex board game dating back thousands of years that involves two contestants placing black and white stones on a grid. It is popular in Asian countries and most top-ranked players hail from China, Japan and South Korea.