daal wrote:We often talk about how to get more people interested in go, and suddenly a publicity bonanza has fallen into our laps. AlphaGo's success has moved Go from *blank stare* to "Isn't that the game where computers have just become competitive?" It seems that this might be the best opportunity since Hikaru no Go to promote go. Are we going to take advantage of it?
I kinda doubt it. DeepBlue was a big deal because Chess was already known as the 'ultimate mind game' to the public. I don't think a western layman would care that much about computers beating humans in an obscure game - something they've been hearing for quite some time already.
Boidhre wrote:Almost every post about it I've seen and every conversation I've heard has been about "oh, cool, look at what computers can beat humans at now, Skynet is coming" not "oh, that game looks interesting can someone teach me how to play."
I do think these "Skynet" comments are an expression of certain concerns rather than being simple jokes though. If A.I. improves at this rate it can provide a real threat to many people, not in the way of "Robot Apocalypse" but of losing their jobs. Especially for professionals, who put in many years of hard work to get into their highbrow offices, the thought of losing their career to a tin can and getting reduced to a low-skilled nobody can be dreadful (on a related note I wonder what's going on in many pro's minds after seeng AlphaGo now). A.I. can create a new utopia for mankind, but the road to that utopia will not be smooth.
DrStraw wrote:Is this really getting that much interest and publicity? I don't have a TV or subscribe to a newspaper so I get all my news online. I have not seen a single reference to it outside of the go community.
Calvin Clark wrote:Thanks for asking the same question I was thinking of asking.
It's interesting to hear people's stories about how they got interested in go. Certainly, I think the event will raise awareness of the game, but I guess it depends on the coverage. Nevertheless, I was surprised when I met people who said that they heard about go from the movie "Pi." That's a pretty niche movie to begin with and go is featured very, very briefly in it.
It's funny. That's where I first heard of Go too. I guess if you're a bit of a geek with an interest in maths then at some point you're going to come across this film and be compelled to watch it. I certainly was. I saw it on VHS cassette in the late 90s when it was released on that format. I was bemused by the game they were playing and so found out what it was called. I put it on a list of things to learn at some point. Then many years later in 2007 there was a local Go event and I attended with some friends to fullfill this goal. I think they were all scared off after this experience but I was just drawn in more. So I bought a board. No one really wanted to play it and getting started when you have no one to play that knows the rules makes for a tough time to bootstrap the process. At a loose end I tried playing a computer opponent (GNU Go) but that just gave me more questions than answers. I finally found someone that knew how to play in July 2014 and have been hooked ever since.
There are a lot of IT types that are interested in AI and neural nets and algorithms. These types are also interested in playing board games (and drinking real ale!). So it may well be a winning combination to draw in people that have had it on their list to learn for sometime but have never got round to it.
I was not impress with the fact that they used a cheap set in which the stones don't fit and they did not even know how to place a stone. If they cannot even get that right how much can you trust their reporting.
Still officially AGA 5d but I play so irregularly these days that I am probably only 3d or 4d over the board (but hopefully still 5d in terms of knowledge, theory and the ability to contribute).
DrStraw wrote:Is this really getting that much interest and publicity? I don't have a TV or subscribe to a newspaper so I get all my news online. I have not seen a single reference to it outside of the go community.
Quite some coverage in German newspapers resp. their online presences, e.g. Süddeutsche Zeitung, Der Spiegel, etc., and, of course, on IT related pages.
DrStraw wrote:Is this really getting that much interest and publicity? I don't have a TV or subscribe to a newspaper so I get all my news online. I have not seen a single reference to it outside of the go community.
Quite some coverage in German newspapers resp. their online presences, e.g. Süddeutsche Zeitung, Der Spiegel, etc., and, of course, on IT related pages.
First time round, yes. In the UK it was all over the Radio, TV, main-stream news outlets (both paper and digital). And that's not including articles in predominantely technology-oriented media.
Quite a lot of inaccuracies and strange comparissions but I doubt it will get coverage like that again. I just hope it keeps up throughout the series; it can only be good for the game.
DrStraw wrote:Is this really getting that much interest and publicity? I don't have a TV or subscribe to a newspaper so I get all my news online. I have not seen a single reference to it outside of the go community.
Quite some coverage in German newspapers resp. their online presences, e.g. Süddeutsche Zeitung, Der Spiegel, etc., and, of course, on IT related pages.
First time round, yes. In the UK it was all over the Radio, TV, main-stream news outlets (both paper and digital). And that's not including articles in predominantely technology-oriented media.
Quite a lot of inaccuracies and strange comparissions but I doubt it will get coverage like that again. I just hope it keeps up throughout the series; it can only be good for the game.
Good to hear it's gaining so much coverage in Europe! I wonder how it is in the other side of the Atlantic?
I was not impress with the fact that they used a cheap set in which the stones don't fit and they did not even know how to place a stone. If they cannot even get that right how much can you trust their reporting.
Hmmm, don't think the BBC are that worried about their overall credibility. I turned on BBC Radio 4 news at 9 am this morning, to see if and how they reported the game, and it was about the third headline: adequate short item.
sybob wrote:To a certain degree, I think we (go community in general) try to take advantage of it. It has gained a fair amount of publicity. We should all jump on the publicity train, I think, especially now that the time is ripe. Any publicity is good publicity. In general, I try to pass on my enthusiasm for the game to others. I misuse the AlphaGo news a lot. We will have to see if this either broadens the go playing base; and/or raises the level of the game.
If it is about 'selling' the game: a have a digital copy of a report by Paul Smith for Britgo. Old, but still applicable, I think. He identifies several selling points. One of them is this: " Baduk promotional material should stress the elegance, beauty (i.e. visual attractiveness), creativity and depth of Baduk and the simplicity of the rules rather than the difficult and challenging nature of the game. They should emphasise that by using small boards and handicaps Baduk can be a fast-paced and fun game which families or clubs can enjoy, as everyone can play on equal terms. "
In The Netherlands, it gets unprecedented press coverage, also mainstream: television, radio, newspapers, internet. Especially after the first Lee Sedol match earlier today. Schadenfreude perhaps? Well, never mind, any publicity is good publicity.
Well, I did a ~10 minute interview on a local radio station, talking about Go, the tournament and beginner teaching session we have in Cambridge this weekend, and the AlphaGo match.
