The 2024 “Bay Area Cup” World AI Go Championship kicked off on November 8 at the Cultural Center in Bao’an District, Shenzhen, and concluded successfully on November 10. We were honored to have Ms. Liang Chunhua, president of the Bao’an District Go Association and a member of the event’s organizing committee, for a brief interview. Here’s the content of the interview:

Q1: The competition attracted 20 AI Go teams from around the world, including Blue Cat, Yinzheng, Yile, and others. Could you tell us: How do the rules of this tournament differ from traditional Go competitions? How do you ensure fairness in the competition?

Liang: This competition adopted a 3 and 1/2 komi for Black. If White passes first, Black’s komi increases by 1/2 point. This adjustment reduces the advantage White typically has under the current Chinese Go rules, creating a more balanced game between Black and White. The technical arbitration and referee team closely followed the competition dynamics throughout, ensuring the event proceeded smoothly.

Q2: What do you consider the most significant highlight brought by the AI Go showdown? What positive impact will it have on the future development of the global AI field and the Go field?

Liang: The most significant highlight of this AI Go showdown is that it showcases the advanced nature of global AI technology, allowing us to witness AI’s decision-making abilities and learning potential in a complex game like Go. This competition not only promotes the optimization of Go algorithms but also advances broader applications of AI technology in strategic decision-making. This high-level technical exchange helps advance fields such as machine gaming and AI autonomous learning and will attract more people to the combination of Go and AI, further promoting Go culture and sparking more interest in the game.

Q3: This AI Go Championship is hailed as the “crown jewel of computer gaming.” Will the competition be held annually or regularly in the future? What are the plans for the future?

Liang: Yes, the organizers intend to make this event an international, regular competition. Through this platform, we hope to continuously showcase the latest achievements in AI Go technology from around the world, while providing outstanding teams from various regions with opportunities to compete and exchange knowledge. We hope that Go enthusiasts and AI professionals worldwide can witness the progress of Go AI together, encouraging more industries to participate in Go AI innovation.

Q4: Considering the differences between an AI competition and a traditional tournament, did the organizers encounter any particular challenges during the event? Could you briefly describe them?

Liang: Indeed, there were specific challenges. First, there were the equipment requirements and technical support issues. Unlike traditional competitions, AI Go requires higher levels of computing resources and network support, so each team needed to prepare and test various hardware and software in advance. Additionally, determining the outcome and ensuring fairness in AI Go matches is also challenging. The organizers had to establish more detailed competition rules and deploy a professional technical team to monitor in real-time, ensuring fairness and impartiality in every match.