Skip to main content

‘AlphaGo’ documentary on Google AI trouncing Go champ returns for NYC screenings

AlphaGo, a new documentary about a Google AI triumphing over Go champion Lee Sedol, first premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in April. It returned to NYC for public screenings on Friday, and will show in Los Angeles next month.

Go is a Chinese board game dating back 2,500 years. The game’s rules are fairly simple, with the objective being to capture more territory than your opponent. However, Go is a prime example of a game that is easy to learn, but difficult to master. The documentary boasts that Go offers more board combinations than there are atoms in the universe.

Recommended Videos

The game’s complexity meant that computer scientists and Go champions alike believed that AI would not be able to master the game for at least another decade. The Google-owned DeepMind company set out to test that theory by creating an AI that could compete with the world’s best Go players. The company spent several years developing the AlphaGo program, teaching it more than 30 million moves from actual games of Go. From there, the program used machine learning to play against itself, testing strategies and developing new moves. This process was crucial to ensuring the program could keep up with professional players, as the game contains so many possibilities.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

Despite the program’s victory over European Go champion Fan Hui, both AlphaGo’s creators and Sedol were skeptical of its chances against a world champion. Sedol went into the game expecting to triumph over the AI. His confidence was warranted, considering Sedol has been playing professionally since the age of 12 and has 18 world championships under his belt.

Even the program’s creators were unsure of their creation’s chances. The documentary shows them nervously watching AI’s five rounds against Lee Sedol.

The program’s victory has raised new questions concerning the role of computers and AI in our daily lives as some fear that such technology might one day make humans increasingly obsolete. Of course, such fears are hardly new. There were similar comments when IBM’s Deep Blue program defeated Russian chess master Garry Kasparov.

While man vs. machine makes for a compelling angle and potential ramifications of AI should not be ignored, the story of AlphaGo is really a story of man vs. man. After all, the program is not some sentient intelligence, but, rather, a tool created by Google’s DeepMind team.

Eric Brackett
Former Digital Trends Contributor
5 sci-fi movies on Netflix you need to watch in February 2025
Matthew McConaughey as Cooper in his astronaut suit looking to the distance in Interstellar.

February has been a light month for new sci-fi on Netflix. Thankfully, sci-fi remains one of the stronger genres on Netflix, with many top movies to stream this month. With the Oscars coming in early March, now is an ideal time to revisit Dune: Part Two. If Dune isn't your speed, try one of the Mad Max movies to experience the Wasteland.
This month, we curated a list of five sci-fi movies to watch. Our recommendations include a stunning space adventure, a "choose your own adventure" saga, and an intriguing psychological thriller.

We also have guides to the best new movies to stream, the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Hulu, the best movies on Amazon Prime Video, the best movies on Max, and the best movies on Disney+.
Black Mirror: Bandersnatch (2018)

Read more
3 underrated Amazon Prime Video movies you should watch this weekend (February 14-16)
A woman smiles in Past Lives.

The middle of February can be a fairly gloomy time, at least from a weather perspective. Thankfully, the most romantic holiday of the year is sitting right in the middle of the weekend. If you're looking for something to watch this Valentine's Day weekend, we've got a lineup of great romance-adjacent movies that are all available on Prime Video.
If you want something fairly conventional or some picks that are a little more out of the box, we've got you covered. Here are three movies you should make time for this weekend, all available on Amazon Prime Video:

Along Came Polly (2004)
Along Came Polly Official Trailer #1 - Ben Stiller Movie (2004) HD
Along Came Polly is, undeniably, a movie about a boring dude who falls in love with a manic pixie dream girl. Even so, the undeniable chemistry between Ben Stiller and Jennifer Aniston makes the movie work anyway.
Even more crucial is Philip Seymour Hoffman's supporting turn as a deeply embarrassing former child star who is also really bad at basketball. Along Came Polly is conventional, sure, but it knows how to hit every beat it's going for, and it's a reminder of just how great both Aniston and Stiller were at their peaks.
You can watch Along Came Polly on Amazon Prime Video.
Past Lives (2023)
Past Lives | Official Trailer HD | A24

Read more
Captain America: Brave New World: How many post-credits scenes are there?
Anthony Mackie poses dramatically as Captain America in a still from the movie "Captain America: Brave New World."

It usually goes without saying that a Marvel movie will feature an extra scene or two as the credits roll. Many fans expect a lot from Captain America: Brave New World, since the film is expected to set up the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As Sam Wilson and his allies fight to stop a conspiracy that threatens to launch World War III, the movie introduces the element Adamantium, an essential part of Wolverine's origin story in Marvel Comics. On top of that, the film has revisited both the Celestial Tiamut, making it the source of the Adamantium, and the Avengers getting back together with Sam as their new leader.
All these building blocks have laid the foundation for things like the next two Avengers movies and even the X-Men's debut in the MCU. With the next two Avengers movies just around the corner, Brave New World has built up Sam to lead Earth's Mightiest Heroes in the fight to maintain peace as the new Captain America. All in all, there is a lot to look forward to after the events of Brave New World, and what the film reveals during the credits hints at a dark future for Sam and the Avengers.

Captain America's post-credits scene, explained

Read more