Celebrating 10 Years of AlphaGo's Impact on Artificial Intelligence

Ten years ago, our AI system AlphaGo became the first program to defeat a world champion in the complex game of Go, reaching a milestone that many experts thought would not be possible for another decade.

This achievement marked the beginning of what is now recognized as the modern era of artificial intelligence (AI). With one creative move, the famous 'Move 37', AlphaGo demonstrated the potential of AI and showed that we have techniques to tackle real scientific challenges.

Today, this breakthrough continues to influence our work in developing systems on the path to artificial general intelligence (AGI). We are confident that AGI will become the most significant technology ever invented and could potentially serve as the ultimate tool for advancing science, medicine, and productivity.

In 2016, over 200 million people watched as AlphaGo faced off against world champion Lee Sedol in Seoul. The match was defined by 'Move 37' in the second game, a move that was so unconventional that professional commentators initially thought it was a mistake. But it turned out to be decisive.

After one hundred moves, the stone was in the exact position for AlphaGo to win the game. This was an example of incredible foresight and the ability of the AI system to go beyond mimicking human experts and discover entirely new strategies.