AlphaGo ignites AI passion among local enthusiasts

When AlphaGo defeated Lee Se-dol, one of the world's top Go players, 4:1 on Tuesday, China's artificial intelligence community decided it was time to take AI to the people. The people, in this case China's online community, have plenty of suggestions.
Imagine using the AI technology to invent a poker machine complete with a computer vision gear allowing it to recognize human motions and gestures. Contests would be more humane rather than a cold-hearted game of computing prowess, a Web user said after watching the competition.


Others want to see Google's DeepMind team come up with AlphaMahjong to take on China's most popular four-handed pastime which features slippery concepts like teamwork and cooperation


"The response of these fans are a good reminder that research must meet a realistic demand. I think many people want to take on AI machines as their favorite pastimes via their phones or laptops," said Xu Li, CEO of SenseTime, a Chinese AI company which specializes in computer vision.


That kind of interaction is currently restrained by the hardware. Such superior AI technology is still impossible to run on home computers or the smartest of phones, but that is sure to change.


By challenging one of the world's top Go players, AlphaGo has propelled itself to the high ground of AI research and development. AI may still be out of reach for most of us, but now it is at least in sight.


The article transsshipment from China Daily