It’s just over a year since Google’s DeepMind unit stunned the world when its AlphaGo AI beat Go legend Lee Se-dol 4-1 in a five-game match; the result demonstrated mastery of a feat that had eluded computer scientists for decades and sparked a flood of new interest in the field of artificial intelligence. But there was one possible “gotcha” that Go devotees could hold onto: Lee Se-dol was once, but is no longer, quite considered the greatest player on the planet.
That distinction is now considered to belong to Ke Jie, a 19-year-old Chinese player ranked number 1 worldwide. A professional since the age of ten, Ke has beaten Lee several times in high-profile matches in recent years, including three finals victories in the three months...
