Chinese Go Association suspends player 'for using AI'

The Chinese Go Association – the body that oversees professional and high-level amateur play of the board game – has suspended a player for apparently using artificial intelligence during a tournament. An announcement from the body states the cheating happened during online play in preliminary rounds of the Advocate Cup China …

[NXM]

How did they know? Did he squeal?

First rule of Not Being Seen: do not stand up.

[Aleph0]

I suppose that he was caught doing numerous moves countering currently established game theory, moves that were revealed being advantageous much later in the game (so-called "divine moves"). Human players cannot usually think too many moves ahead in early stages of the game where complexity balloons exponentially.

[Maximus Decimus Meridius]

The AI's play differently enough that an experienced player can tell. There is a documentary on Netflix called AlphaGo about the AI/Human tournament. The human players were surprised about the strategies the AI used - certainly nothing like a human player.

[Anonymous Coward]

But now those moves are known to be useful, wouldn't some humans start using them?

[marcellothearcane]

Probably because like chess, the difference between a move that results in a good position and a move that results in a bad position depends on the exact game state.

The AI didn't find some golden rule like "put a piece here on move 17" that always works, so humans can't copy it.

[swm]

Human GO players are currently studying the Alpha GO moves carefully to improve their game. Looking at some of the games the play is very subtle.

[Ian Bush]

More than that, it's quite possible that the games are analysed afterwards by some software to find indicators as to whether it is a human playing, or if there is computer "assistance". I can't tell you about the Go world, but this certainly happens in Chess - any rated online tournament will likely be sent for analysis, and yes, people have been disqualified and/or banned for use of a computer having been detected by this method. Ken Regan (https://www.buffalo.edu/news/experts/ken-regan-faculty-expert-chess.html) is probably the best known researcher in this area.

[mumps]

Well, in many tournaments now there is a requirement to have a separate webcam viewing the player and their hands, so it may have been something to do with a failure regarding this.

[TeeCee]

While they are sat in front of a computer?

Connected to the internet?

Pass the mind bleach please...

[mumps]

Not sure why bleach is required. Could you explain?

[gerryg]

AI and cheating

If you look at almost any online go server, e.g., online-go.com, every game is analysed at the end using AI and a performance graph is displayed. Usually rubbishing those moves you thought were amazing.

If your performance graph show an astonishing conformity to best move, unless you are e.g., Shin Jin-seo, you are cheating (on balance of probabilities, etc )