AI mahjong player tears down the walls
An AI mahjong player that can beat the best AI systems and average human player has caused quite a stir during the World Artificial Intelligence Conference.
Mahjong is one of the most popular games in China. Super Phoenix (or Suphx) developed by Microsoft Research Asia was introduced during a speech by Harry Shum, Microsoft’s executive vice president.
Suphx navigates the uncertain and nature of mahjong. It’s “more than a game,” said Shum, adding that it could be applied in real situations where problems are often thrown up by unknown factors and random events.
Suphx went from being a novice to an expert after more than 5,000 games over four months. The more it played, the more it learned at an ever-increasing pace.
Mahjong is the latest game that has left mere humans powerless in the face of machine intelligence following chess and go.