I played chess against a robot. Turns out humanity is doomed
Forget AlphaGo. It took less than 10 minutes for a robot to beat me at a board game, and it was an exercise in humiliation.
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I have some bad news, team. If I'm the one chosen to defend humanity against the robot uprising, we're all going to die. They've found my weakness, and it's chess.
Check, fellow human.
I went one-on-one with a chess-bot at Computex in Taipei this week, and I learned three things.
- Robotics and artificial intelligence are improving at a rapid rate.
- I should have played more chess when I was younger.
- It's really embarrassing to lose to a machine.
The robot is the work of the Industrial Technology Research Institute of Taiwan, which developed the Intelligent Vision System for Companion Robots used in my foe.
Things have changed a lot since IBM's Deep Blue went up against chess master Garry Kasparov two decades ago. Cameras built into my robot opponent's head are able to detect its surroundings (in this case, a chess board); the robot can then interpret data (in this case, my totally ineptitude); and it then uses machine learning to respond (aka, school me at chess).
The Institute says the robot could work on production lines, help people with disabilities or the elderly, or perform daily tasks in the home.
Of course, all of this is moot. My so-called "Companion Robot" embarrassed me in front in front of a crowded trade hall and I'm angry.
When the robot uprising comes, I'll have an ax to grind.
Be sure to check out the rest of CNET's Computex 2017 coverage here.
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