Check to Man
In the collective imagination, the game of chess, like the game of Go, symbolizes human intelligence — some even call it strategic intelligence.
The defeat of Gary Kasparov by IBM’s Deep Blue was therefore sensational since, quite aside from its commercial exploitation, it demonstrated the supremacy of the machine over human intelligence even though the computer was itself conceived and made by man.
In truth, Libaert tells us, intelligence doesn’t reduce to computational speed and power. Rather than viewing this victory as the supremacy of our tools, it should lead us to ask ourselves anew what humanity retains which is uniquely human.
The question is certainly not a new one, but it will keep recurring with unprecedented acuity in the degree to which science and technology advance.
L'homme en échec ?
Cet article fait partie de la revue Futuribles n° 228, fév. 1998
