AlphaGo

The game Go is among the most complex in the world. Played with small black and white stones on a 19-by-19 grid, there are—famously—more possible sequences of play than there are atoms in the visible universe. Treated as an art in parts of East Asia, the game is said to be mastered only by those with finely tuned instincts and intuition. Could a computer program replicate those qualities? The technology company Deep Mind sought to find out, developing AlphaGo in the hope that it could defeat the best players in the world. In March 2016, a thrilling match-up along the lines of Deep Blue vs. Garry Kasparov pitted the program against Korean Go champion Lee Sedol in a five-game series. Filled with fascinating personalities—from the brilliant but exceedingly humble Sedol to the breathlessly enthusiastic commentators that cover the big match—AlphaGo creates a surprisingly gripping man-against-machine narrative that may just have you cheering the outcome of a quiet, contemplative board game.