Deep Thinking: Where Machine Intelligence Ends and Human Creativity Begins

InMay1997,theworldwatchedasGarryKasparov,thegreatestchessplayerintheworld,wasdefeatedforthefirsttimebytheIBMsupercomputerDeepBlue.Itwasawatershedmomentinthehistoryoftechnology:machineintelligencehadarrivedatthepointwhereitcouldbesthumanintellect.Itwasn'tacoincidencethatKasparovbecamethesymbolofman'sfightagainstthemachines.Chesshaslongbeenthefulcrumindevelopmentofmachineintelligence;thehoaxautomaton'TheTurk'inthe18thcenturyandAlanTuring'sfirstchessprogramin1952weretwoearlyexamplesofthequestformachinestothinklikehumans--atalentwemeasuredbytheirabilitytobeattheircreatorsatchess.Asthepre-eminentchessmasterofthe80sand90s,itwasKasparov'sblessingandhiscursetoplayagainsteachgeneration'sstrongestcomputerchampions,contributingtotheirdevelopmentandadvancingthefield.Likeallpassionatecompetitors,Kasparovhastakenhisdefeatandlearnedfromit.Hehasdevotedmuchenergytodevisingwaysinwhichhumanscanpartnerwithmachinesinordertoproduceresultsbetterthaneithercanachievealone.DuringthetwentyyearssinceplayingDeepBlue,he'splayedbothwithandagainstmachines,learningagreatdealaboutourvitalrelationshipwithourmostremarkablecreations.Ultimately,he'sbecomeconvincedthatbyembracingthecompetitionbetweenhumanandmachineintelligence,wecanspendlesstimeworryingaboutbeingreplacedandmorethinkingofnewchallengestoconquer.Inthisbreakthroughbook,KasparovtellshissideofthestoryofDeepBlueforthefirsttime--whatitwasliketostrategizeagainstanimplacable,untiringopponent--themistakeshemadeandthereasonstheoddswereagainsthim.Butmorethanthat,hetellshisstoryofAImoregenerally,andhowhe'sevolvedtoembraceit,takingpartinanurgentdebatewithphilosophersworriedabouthumanvalues,programmerscreatingself-learningneuralnetworks,andengineersofcuttingedgerobotics.