In class today we watched a documentary concerning the 1997 chess match between Garry Kasparov and IBM’s Deep Blue. While this footage reminded me of the emotional drama I once faced as a musical performer, it was useful in the context of our class because it concerned games and emotions. If a program such as Deep Blue can crack the nerves of chess master Kasparov, the issue of how games can play with your mind and emotions emerges.

It appeared to me that Kasparov was limited in his thinking because he assumed that Deep Blue would have a strategy; it would think like one human. It seems to me that one of the greatest advantages of an A.I. player is how it can combine strategies of multiple individuals; the computer thus appears to have a sense of spontaneity and no one linear “strategy.” Game Two was worst for Kasparov because he felt as if he had faced a completely new player. Why did he assume that the computer would act like one player each time? He was limited by his knowledge of human players, who enjoy the safety of tested strategies and familiar moves. Since the computer was able to store such a wide variety of possibilities in an organized fashion, it had access to multiple human strategies and was no longer limited to personal preferences.

Kasparov is definitely more human than the computer, but does that cripple his chess abilities? While it is easy to understand Kasparov’s mental and emotional breakdown toward the end of the tournament, it is clear that he lacked the endurance of the machine. Such endurance would be very useful in other endeavors, and it is very old. The concept of a mechanical “super-soldier” has emerged again and again in films and other media. Why not a super-smart chess player who is not affected by performance anxiety or mental exhaustion? Such ideas frighten me; I fear the age when we will develop technology so sophisticated that humans become inferior in terms of intelligence and efficiency.

Deep Blue may only have one talent, but its ability to “crack” a chess mastermind prove that A.I. may one day be more than able to match humans in other areas. Perhaps they will surpass our abilities, which may be very useful – as long as we are still able to shut it down when necessary.