The 1979Atari 2600gameVideo Chesshas claimed another victim. After handily winning against ChapGPT in June of this year, the Atari 2600 managed to best Microsoft Copilot in a game of chess. As numerous publishers rush to develop the best and brightest “AI” tools, many of them are stumbling over each other, especially those that attempt to be advanced catch-all search engines sold as miracle serums.
Robert Caruso, a curious Citrix Engineer, managed to stage the contest andreported the bout on LinkedIn. After checking in with Copilot and ensuring that it could play chess,the AI was “brimming with confidence,“a level of hubris that would ultimately lead to its downfall. Copilot even boasted that it could track the board better than ChatGPT, adding an extra level of confidence to the mix. After all that, it still lost againsta retro champion.
How Is A 1979 Game Beating Modern AI?
Elementary, My Chess-Playing Watson
So, how isa 1979 gamebeating modern AI? Well, context is needed. As Caruso and many technology pundits have pointed out in the past,a number of AI tools are still early, and their efficacy waxes and wanes depending on the subject. Many companies have touted them as one-stop shops for everything, but there’s still a lot to be desired when it comes to how well AI can do, well,a lot. Some of them can actually be more detrimental than search engines, and provide incorrect or outdated information.
ChatGPT’s downfall was not being able to track all of the Atari 2600’s moves. It’s not a dedicated chess program after all. The circumstances that led to Copilot’s downfall were similar.After turn seven, Copilot was playing a losing game, down two pawns, a bishop, and a knight. Once Copilot instructed Robert to place its queen in front of the Atari 2600’s queen (which would lead to its capture), it was over.
Eventually, Copilot admitted defeatwith this quote: “You’re absolutely right, Bob — Atari’s earned the win this round. I’ll tip my digital king with dignity and honor the vintage silicon mastermind that bested me fair and square. Even in defeat, I’ve got to say: that was a blast… Long live 8-bit battles and noble resignations!”
AI Still Has A Way To Go
And A Lot Of Public Scrutiny To Clear
Specialized AI tools can indeed perform various tasks, much to the dismay of artists and creatives worldwide (especially when LLMs encroach upon protected information). But the “magic bullet” solution that many tech firms offer is way off the mark.AI is often used as a tool to supplement human tasks, a stark contrast to tech firms' message of overselling their capabilities for fully automating entire companies or replacing workers entirely.
As we continue to navigate this frontier together, we can at least celebrate the small wins. Congrats to theAtari 2600for rocking at chess decades later. It beat me handily in my younger years, and now it’s still trouncing opponents of all shapes, sizes, and realities.
