Lee Sedol: "The Emergence of AI Raises Fundamental Questions About Baduk"

On the 17th, Go player Lee Sedol, who retired last year, shared his recent news on tvN's "You Quiz on the Block (You Quiz)." Photo by tvN "You Quiz on the Block" broadcast screen capture

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Seul-gi] Retired Go player Lee Sedol shared an update on his recent life.

On the 17th, the tvN show 'You Quiz on the Block (YouQuiz)' aired a special episode titled 'The One and Only Self,' featuring Lee Sedol as the final guest.

During the broadcast, Lee Sedol recalled his 2016 match against AlphaGo, saying, "I think I won one game because luck was on my side. AlphaGo influenced my decision to retire."

Lee Sedol also shared an anecdote about Go player Lee Chang-ho. He confessed, "After my father passed away on my 16th birthday, I felt even more determined out of guilt towards him. In 2001, after winning two consecutive games and then losing three in the finals against Lee Chang-ho 9-dan, I cried bitterly for the first time since I started playing Go."

He continued, "Two years later, I defeated Lee Chang-ho and laughed the biggest I ever had since playing Go. When I became a professional at 13, Lee Chang-ho was the number one player and truly the AlphaGo of that time. Beating Lee Chang-ho was my goal. I don't think I ever surpassed him completely. He was that kind of presence. He was too high above. He was practically a god of Go," expressing his respect.

Lee Sedol said, "If I could turn back time, even if I learned Go again, I wouldn't become a professional player." He revealed, "I learned Go with an academic and artistic approach. When artificial intelligence emerged, I began to question fundamentally whether it was really that valuable."

He added, "Most professional players create something through their own research. They easily access and learn from many players' matches online. Of course, it's the trend of the times and can't be said to be bad, but it wasn't like that when I first learned Go," expressing a bittersweet feeling.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.