After beating the world's elite Go players, Google's AlphaGo AI is retiring

The latest to succumb is Go's top-ranked player, Ke Jie, who lost 3-0 in a series hosted in China this week. The AI, developed by London-based DeepMind, which was acquired by Google for around $500 million in 2014, also overcome a team of five top players during a week of matches. AlphaGo first drew headlines last year when it beat former Go world champion Lee Sedol, and the China event took things to the next level with matches against 19-year-old Jie, and doubles with and against other top Go pros. Challengers defeated, AlphaGo has cast its last competitive stone, DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis explained. This week's series of thrilling games with the world's best players, in the country where Go originated, has been the highest possible pinnacle for AlphaGo as a competitive program.