One of the world ’s top human champions of Go has decided to retire from toy the scheme biz professionally , citing AI as a reason he feels he can no longer contend .

South Korean Go participant Lee Sedol gained international ill fame in March 2016when he took onGoogle Deepmind ’s artificial intelligence AlphaGo . The machinewon four out of five match againstSedol , proving that AI is advanced enough to beat humanity at one of its most complex abstract scheme game .

Sedol did not blot out his sense of failure after his losses . “ I do n’t know how to start or what to say today , but I intend I would have to evince my apology first , ” he saidafter the third match . “ I do apologize for not being able to live up to a portion of people ’s expected value . I kind of felt powerless . ”

Lee Se-Dol after a match against Google’s AI program

Lee Se-Dol after a match against Google’s AI programPhoto: (Getty)

After the final blow , Sedol said , “ I have come to wonder the classical beliefs a little bit , so I have more study to do . ”

It seems that the friction match has take him down an existential way . Yonhap News Agencyreported that on November 19 , Sedol submitted his surrender notice to the Korea Baduk Association ( KBA ) that regularise professional Go contender in South Korea , put an end to the 36 - yr - old ’s 24 - twelvemonth Go career .

Sedol said he retired from flirt because he has swallow he can never beat AI . “ With the debut of AI in Go games , I ’ve realized that I ’m not at the top even if I become the number one through phrenetic efforts , ” Lee told Yonhap . “ Even if I become the number one , there is an entity that can not be defeat . ”

Argentina’s President Javier Milei (left) and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., holding a chainsaw in a photo posted to Kennedy’s X account on May 27. 2025.

He supply that his decision was also inspired by his dispute with the KBA over how the organization uses membership fees . concord to Yonhap , Sedol is suing the organization for his fees .

Sedol plans to celebrate his retirement next calendar month with one final secret plan against an AI Go competition — HanDol , built by South Korea tech business firm NHN Entertainment . Sedol will start the game with a slight handicap .

“ Even with a two - stone vantage , I finger like I will lose the first secret plan to HanDol , ” he told Yonhap , already dejected . “ I wanted to act comfortably against HanDol as I have already retired , though I will do my skilful . ”

William Duplessie

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