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 AlphaGo, developed by Google subsidiary DeepMind, had already
clinched a series victory with its third win on Saturday, in a
result that shocked the world.
The program made history last year by becoming the first machine to
beat a human pro player, but 33-year-old Lee, one of the world's top
players, was seen as a much more formidable opponent.
"I am disappointed that the matches are over, and also disappointed
that I could not end the series on a high note," Lee told reporters,
thanking fans for their support and adding that he had
wholeheartedly enjoyed the games.
"I think the humans still have a good chance," he added.
Go, most popular in countries such as China, South Korea and Japan,
involves two contestants moving black and white stones across a
square grid, aiming to seize the most territory.
It is perfect for artificial intelligence research because there are
simply too many moves for a machine to win by brute-force
calculations, the route IBM's Deep Blue used to famously beat former
world chess champion Garry Kasparov in 1997.
"It was just an incredible game," DeepMind founder Demis Hassabis
told reporters.
Until AlphaGo's victory last year, experts had not expected an
artificial intelligence program to beat a human professional for at
least a decade.
The program's developers overcame the hurdles it faced with a design
that enabled it to learn on its own, hoping it would be able to
approximate human intuition by studying old matches and using
simulated games to hone itself.
"AlphaGo's win is important, because, unlike techniques used in
previous programs, it is applicable generally, and can be used for
many other things," said Daniel Sleator, a computer science
professor at Carnegie Mellon University.
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Google executives say they aim to apply the technology underlying
AlphaGo to create algorithms and programs to assist humans in fields
from medical care to scientific research and robotics.
Last week, Eric Schmidt, executive chairman of Google parent
Alphabet Inc, told reporters he expected the technology would
eventually be deployed across all of Google's services.
"Artificial Intelligence can help find new strategies in fields such
as health care or law," said Lee Sang-wan, a professor of brain and
cognitive engineering at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and
Technology.
The Korea Baduk Association on Tuesday awarded AlphaGo an honorary
professional 9-dan title, the highest possible rank and the same as
that held by Lee, for exhibiting creative and brilliant skills and
contributing to the game's progress.
Go Ratings, a website that ranks Go players worldwide, placed
AlphaGo as fourth best, with Lee Sedol following, in fifth place.
(Reporting by Jee Heun Kahng and Se Young Lee; Editing by Nick
Macfie and Clarence Fernandez)
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