Utopia of 81 Squares

Harmony between homo/robo ludens in Shogi and Chess

Abstract

This paper explores the relationship between humans and machines from the perspective of play. In late 18^th century, machines were playful amusement. As the Industrial Revolution progressed, machines metamorphosed from joyful automata into practical robots which emphasized the value of productivity and practicability. The recent development in artificial intelligence has enabled AI to defeat top chess and Shogi players and surpass human intelligence. These events cause us fears that humans shall be destroyed by what they create, like Dr. Faust or Dr. Frankenstein. However, machines can abandon their practicability at this crucial moment and regenerate as robo ludens which play eagerly with homo ludens.