The other neural network - the “value network” - predicts the winner of the game. One neural network - known as the “policy network” - selects the next move to play. We created AlphaGo, an AI system that combines deep neural networks with advanced search algorithms. Standard AI methods struggled to assess the sheer number of possible moves and lacked the creativity and intuition of human players.
The strongest Go computer programs only achieved the level of human amateurs, despite decades of work. That’s more than the number of atoms in the known universe.
The game is a googol times more complex than chess - with an astonishing 10 to the power of 170 possible board configurations. Go was long considered a grand challenge for AI.
