Full-time comic artist

But Hikaru no Go is different.

Despite its mysterious concept of the soul, this comic is remarkably realistic.

Even many professional Go players have become readers of "Hikaru no Go".

This realism, combined with the futuristic AI technology, makes it all the more striking.

Some professional chess players expressed their incomprehension.

"It couldn't even conquer simple chess. I find it hard to believe that a professional chess player could lose to AI."

These conservative professional Go players viewed the "Hikaru no Go" short manga as "very imaginative," which led to challenges to the work's authenticity.

Some professional chess players believe that day will come, but twenty years from now seems too early.

AI has made groundbreaking progress since the 50s, but in the realm of thought, it remains intellectually deficient.

"Let's wait another fifty years."

Just like the opening of "Ultraman Tiga" which suggests that human conflict will decrease in the early 21st century and that peace will gradually descend upon the earth, this is an overly idealistic view.

TV Tokyo, the production company behind the "Hikaru no Go" anime, saw an opportunity and specially produced a program about it.

Regarding the audience's opinions on "The Great Revolution in Go".

There are three options: support, no support, or ambiguous.

Guests were also invited to share their views.

Hibiki Higashino was also invited.

However, he declined due to lack of time, only agreeing to a live video connection.

Hibiki Higashino sat in front of the television, watching quietly.

The guest this time is naturally a Go player, namely Hideo Ohtake, one of the Six Super Go Players.

A pure and beautiful idol named Izumi Sakai.

When Hibiki Higashino saw her, he suddenly remembered something.

One of her songs was chosen as the ending theme for "Slam Dunk," but Hibiki Higashino doesn't recall which song it was.

"Do you have any albums by this singer? I'd like to listen to them," he asked Oda.

“That’s impossible.” Oda waved his hand. “Izumi-neechan was born in 1967, which is nine years younger than you, sir.”

Hibiki Higashino stared at him. "Is it possible that I just want to listen to music?"

Why do so many people think he's obsessed with his older sister?

“I’ve never seen you listen to music before, teacher…” Oda muttered, “It must be lust at first sight.”

"I admit she's pretty, especially in high school..." Hibiki Higashino stopped abruptly when Akemi Akemi walked in.

"Oda, go and put up the screen dots." He pointed to his workstation.

"Eh! Why?" Oda couldn't understand, stood up complaining, and disappeared from Hibiki Higashino's sight.

Akemi Akemi sat down next to Hibiki Higashino and began to watch with great interest.

The third guest on the show is a professor at the University of Tokyo who studies AI and can be considered a scholar at the forefront of AI research in Japan.

The three guests each played a role, complementing each other perfectly.

The host first asked the experts questions.

"Artificial intelligence still has a long way to go before it can defeat top professional Go players," Professor Okamoto said. "Since the 50s, the development of artificial intelligence has been constrained by computing power and data, and I have always been pessimistic about it."

"But in the early 1990s, there were major breakthroughs in both hardware and algorithms, and the development of AI began to move forward by leaps and bounds."

"So I can't judge the outcome right now."

"However, my personal opinion is that I support it. After all, as someone in the industry, one should always maintain an optimistic outlook."

The audience, host, and guests applauded.

With Professor Okamoto's easy-to-understand explanation, they realized that the 1990s was an era of rapid development in artificial intelligence.

“I understand,” said Otake Hideo, “What Toriakino-kun is thinking.”

"Because he is a college student, he is different from me, who is decadent, and has a diverse understanding of the world."

He humbly stated, "All I know is Go; I'm unaware of any technological advancements."

Hideo Ohtake's playing style is solid and emphasizes aesthetics. He naturally avoids the ugly board positions that AI plays.

If the future belongs to AI, then the soul and essence of human Go will vanish.

Chess players have become tools for fighting without any aesthetic appeal, focused solely on winning or losing.

He does not want to see such a future and strongly opposes it.

It's already quite remarkable that Otake Hideo could say such polite things.

"My personal hope, or rather, my old-fashioned mind, is that bulky computers cannot possibly surpass human intelligence in Go."

He believed that physique, speed, and mechanical ability were the strengths of machines, but intelligence would always belong to humankind.

The host nodded and looked at the two guests. "The two professors have made their thoughts very clear: Professor Okamoto supports it, while 9-dan Otake does not."

"So……"

He looked at Izumi Sakai, who had been listening quietly, and asked with a smile, "What is your opinion, Ms. Sakai?"

Izumi Sakai smiled and said carefully, "I am very clear about my position. In front of two teachers with professional expertise, I represent a wider audience."

"I don't understand AI or Go, so I can only elaborate based on my own perspective."

"I don't understand the wisdom of Go players. But in 'Hikaru no Go,' Akira Touya once said that professional Go players are people who have worked hard and practiced Go since childhood, experienced tears and despair, and finally became one of the geniuses selected from thousands of people."

"Mhm." Otake Hideo nodded.

Izumi Sakai continued, "Compared to Go players, I understand even less about AI. Its development, its current situation, its future, whether it will be technologically revolutionary in the short term—even after reading texts about AI on my computer, I'm still completely confused."

She brushed her hair back and smiled sheepishly.

Okamoto began to see her in a different light.

"So, although I feel I'd be letting down Professor Toriakino, I still think it's very difficult to achieve in just twenty years," Izumi Sakai said, expressing her opinion.

"The situation on site is quite clear: apart from Professor Okamoto, the other two guests hold a pessimistic view," the host concluded.

"Now let's connect with Mr. Akino Mirai and ask him to share his thoughts."

Upon hearing this, Izumi Sakai covered her mouth, as if the protagonist had overheard her talking behind her back.

Professor Okamoto smiled, while Hideo Otake remained serious.

Hibiki Higashino, who had communicated with the TV station staff in advance, answered the phone quickly.

Chapter 174 Higashino Hibiki's Ideas, Mitsui at the Limit

Higashino Hibiki answered the phone from the TV station, and he answered it quickly.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Toriakino Mirai."

"Good afternoon," Higashino Hibiki said, pursing his lips. "I'm watching the program right now, and whether it's Takeshi Kyudan, Professor Okamoto, or Ms. Sakai Izumi, they all expressed the audience's opinions."

Otake 9-dan listened to Higashino Hibiki's phone call and nodded with a smile.

He had watched Higashino Hibiki's matches. Although Higashino was still quite inexperienced, he was amazed that Higashino had reached the level of a professional player after only a little over a year of Go training.

If Akino Toriyama continues to work hard in Go, he could very well achieve what he has today.

To become the owner of the title.

pity……

Otake Hideo shook his head.

“Hello, Mr. Tori Akino,” Izumi Sakai said with a cheerful smile. “I really like your works. Both Hikaru no Go and Slam Dunk have the power to inspire people.”

"Thank you," Hibiki Higashino replied.

Oda, who is paying close attention to all of this, wishes he could take his place. He really likes Izumi Sakai's song "Don't Give Up," which once gave Oda strength.

It is very appropriate to bring this up in the current context.

Unfortunately, Hibiki Higashino's understanding of Japanese songs is limited to anime, and that's about it.

The host steered the conversation back to the main topic, asking, "What are your thoughts, Mr. Toriakino, on the possibility of artificial intelligence defeating professional Go players?"

"Hahaha." Higashino chuckled three times. "In my humble opinion, I would naturally support the other side, since that's how I draw the content of my work."

He is from the future, and in "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya," he can keep Haruhi company and help her find novelty in everyday life.

The tears of frustration that Ke Jie shed after losing to AlphaGo in Wuzhen in 2017 are something he will never forget.

"Yes, I believe that future artificial intelligence will completely surpass human Go players. Even the most outstanding world champions will have no chance of winning against AI; they will be utterly defeated," Hibiki Higashino answered very seriously.

“The teacher’s ideas are different from others,” the host said after a moment of surprise. “The audience’s voting results have been summarized, and they are very different from the teacher’s ideas.”

On the monitors behind the television program stage, there are bar charts showing the audience's opinions.

Support: 10.3%

Not supported: 76.7%

Ambiguous: 13%

Seeing this, Otake Hideo revealed a gentle smile.

Sure enough, everyone shared his thoughts.

"Teacher Akino, what are your thoughts now?" the host asked again.

Akemi Akemi looked at Higashino Hibiki; at that moment, only she could see Higashino Hibiki's expression.

It was a kind of effortless confidence, like "I knew it."

It is full of charm.

“I still maintain my own view,” Hibiki Higashino said: “I haven’t seen the upper limit of human technology, but I have some understanding of the upper limit of professional Go players.”

"How long does it take a beginner to memorize a game record? It might take a day or a week. But AI twenty years from now might be able to memorize tens of thousands of game records in a second."