Garry Kasparov's 1997 chess match against the IBM
supercomputer Deep Blue was a watershed moment in the history of technology. It
was the dawn of a new era in artificial intelligence: a machine capable of
beating the reigning human champion at this most cerebral game.
Very well written and very interesting
May 12, 2017
That moment was more than a century in the making, and in
this breakthrough book, Kasparov reveals his astonishing side of the story for
the first time. He describes how it felt to strategize against an implacable,
untiring opponent with the whole world watching, and recounts the history of
machine intelligence through the microcosm of chess, considered by generations
of scientific pioneers to be a key to unlocking the secrets of human and
machine cognition. Kasparov uses his unrivaled experience to look into the
future of intelligent machines and sees it bright with possibility. As many
critics decry artificial intelligence as a menace, particularly to human jobs,
Kasparov shows how humanity can rise to new heights with the help of our most extraordinary
creations, rather than fear them. Deep Thinking is a tightly argued case
for technological progress, from the man who stood at its precipice with his
own career at stake.
-- from Amazon.com books section
Hall of Famer’s book review:
5 StarsVery well written and very interesting
May 12, 2017
Most of this book is about chess and chess engines and Kasparov’s
experiences with them, especially in his two matches with IBM’s Deep Blue. But
there is much more. The central theme of the book can be seen in this quote
from page 259: “…technology can make us more human by freeing us to be more
creative…”
Like Kasparov (peak rating of 2851 in 1999) I (peak rating
of 2080 in 1974) have been absolutely fascinated with chess playing programs
going back to the eighties when the best engine played at about the USCF 1200
level. I bought one of the first Chessmaster programs and subsequently several
others as well. I also bought the Fritz engines when they came out and others
including I believe the first Zarkov program. What Kasparov shows is that it is
a combination of brute force from the chess engines and the creative and
process-finding ability of the human that makes for the strongest player. In
human tournaments of course you can’t get help from your cell phone (and
hopefully not from a device in your back molar!), but in preparation for a
tournament and especially for a match a strong chess engine can be invaluable.
Kasparov makes it clear that the proliferation of younger and younger and
stronger and stronger grandmasters came about because of the maturing strength
of the chess engines which allowed players to study at a level and with an
intensity previously impossible.
Kasparov goes on to generalize this idea for other forms of
human endeavor. Artificial Intelligence is in the final analysis a tool to
augment human creativity and foster human achievement. (This is not to say it
won’t be used in detrimental ways.) Fifty-five years ago my friend Bill
Maillard, who is a mathematician and a master chess player, put it this way:
machine intelligence will eventually exceed human intelligence but it will be
the humans that make the decisions.
For Kasparov (quoting John McCarthy who coined the term
“artificial intelligence” in 1956) chess became “the Drosophila of AI,” the
fruit fly that allows scientific experiments. Put ironically in another way,
Kasparov (with tongue in cheek) titled an earlier book of his “How Life
Imitates Chess.” What is most interesting about Garry Kasparov is just how
intelligent, learned and articulate he is compared to the vast number of chess
players. Anybody who has put in the time and energy it takes to become a
grandmaster really doesn’t have time to be well read—usually. One only has to
recall the very limited abilities of Bobby Fischer away from the chess board.
–Speaking of whom, Kasparov has this little story about Fischer on page 92: When
“an eager fan pressed him after a difficult win” with “Nice game, Bobby!”
Fischer retorted, “How would you know.”
Another interesting thing about Kasparov is how he can be
both modest and very confident at the same time. Part of what makes this book
so interesting is the way Kasparov reveals himself. He faults himself for the
infamous resignation in game two of the second Deep Blue match and even reveals
that he didn’t realize the position was drawn until the next day when told so
by his seconds. He explains why he lost the match while making plausible
excuses based on what he thought was unfair advantages on the other side. This
part of the book, which focuses intently on those matches, reveals a very human
and likable person, perhaps akin to a character in a popular novel, a person
with great strengths and some weaknesses. For example, on page 105 Kasparov
writes, “I can say without any false modesty that I was the best-prepared
player in the history of chess.”
For many readers the most interesting parts of the book will
deal with Kaparov’s understanding of AI (and IA, “intelligence amplification”)
and how the technology has developed and where K thinks it’s going. He is less
afraid of the surveillance than many people and for the most part sees that the
increased knowledge we have of others and ourselves through technology will do
more good than harm. He notes that “Our lives are being converted into data”
but “The greatest security problem we have will always be human nature.” (p.
118) He adds on the next page, “Privacy is dying, so transparency must
increase.” His knowledge is impressive, and he and his collaborator Mig
Greengard write so clearly and engagingly that the book is a pleasure to read.
I should add that the book is beautifully designed and meticulously
edited. I didn’t notice a single typo and nary a muddled sentence.
One other thing: even very experienced chess players will
probably learn something about the game of chess they didn’t know or something
about the history of chess they missed. I know I did.
Some quotables:
“Romanticizing the loss of jobs to technology is little better than complaining that antibiotics put too many grave diggers out of work.” (p. 42) This is a statement that bears some scrutiny, and indeed might be the subject of a future Kasparov book.
“Romanticizing the loss of jobs to technology is little better than complaining that antibiotics put too many grave diggers out of work.” (p. 42) This is a statement that bears some scrutiny, and indeed might be the subject of a future Kasparov book.
In 1989 Kasparov played the Deep Thought chess engine. After
Kasparov won the tabloid New York Post wrote, “Red Chess King Quick Fries Deep
Thought’s Chips.” (p. 111)
“Mistakes almost never walk alone.” (p. 239)
“Intelligence is whatever machines haven’t done yet”
(quoting Larry Tesler). (p. 251)
“There’s a business saying that if you’re the smartest
person in the room, you’re in the wrong room.” (p. 252)
--Dennis Littrell, author of “The World Is Not as We Think
It Is”
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