The Shogun And The Samurai

Imagining A Dystopian World Ruled By AI Algorithms

AI is different from humans, it does not have a psychological weakness-Lee Sedol, 9-Dan “Go” Player and 18 times world champion

Towards the end of the Tokugawa Shogunate, feudalism in Japan was breathing its last few breaths. The Meiji restoration ( Taisei Hōkan) of imperial rule symbolized the end of an era where Shoguns (masters) ruled their territories and the Samurai (warriors) would give up their lives to protect the Shogun. Today, the owners of algorithms (platforms) are the modern Shogun, the AI algorithms are the equivalent of the Samurai and the data set that is used in the algorithm is like the sword wielded by the Samurai- the Katana. The better the data set, the sharper the edge. Using the analogy of feudal Japan prior to the Meiji restoration, this article takes a futuristic look at a world engaged in an AI arms race where geopolitical boundaries become irrelevant and everyday life is reduced to algorithms.

Setting The Stage

The ancient Chinese game of “Go” by Wikipedia

If you want to imagine the future of Artificial Intelligence, start by watching the documentary “AlphaGo” on Netflix. The documentary showcases how a research endeavor based out of London called DeepMind created an AI software that defeated a world champion in the ancient Chinese game “Go” -5–0. The next version of AlphaGo i.e. AlphaGo zero beat its former counterpart 100 games to zero. Go is perhaps the most complex game humans have every played. Go is played on a traditional 19x19 square board by placing a black or a white pieces on each intersection. One player uses the white pieces and the opponent, black. The objective of the game is to surround your enemy and have as many of your pieces on the board as you can. The game of Go is believed to be the oldest board game still in play and it originated in ancient China 2,500 years ago. As per wikipedia, the word “Go” is derived from the full Japanese name igo, which is derived from its Chinese name weiqi (Middle Chinese “hjwɨj-gi”), which roughly translates as “board game of…