<s>
AlphaStar	B-Application
is	O
a	O
computer	B-Application
program	I-Application
by	O
DeepMind	B-Application
that	O
plays	O
the	O
video	O
game	O
StarCraft	B-Application
II	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
significant	O
milestone	O
for	O
artificial	B-Application
intelligence	I-Application
,	O
AlphaStar	B-Application
attained	O
Grandmaster	O
status	O
in	O
August	O
2019	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Games	O
created	O
for	O
humans	O
are	O
considered	O
to	O
have	O
external	O
validity	O
as	O
benchmarks	O
of	O
progress	B-Application
in	I-Application
artificial	I-Application
intelligence	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
IBM	O
's	O
chess-playing	O
Deep	B-General_Concept
Blue	I-General_Concept
(	O
1997	O
)	O
and	O
DeepMind	B-Application
's	O
AlphaGo	B-Application
(	O
2016	O
)	O
were	O
considered	O
major	O
milestones	O
;	O
some	O
argue	O
that	O
StarCraft	O
would	O
also	O
be	O
a	O
major	O
milestone	O
,	O
due	O
to	O
StarCraft	O
's	O
"	O
real-time	O
play	O
,	O
partial	O
observability	O
,	O
no	O
single	O
dominant	O
strategy	O
,	O
complex	O
rules	O
that	O
make	O
it	O
hard	O
to	O
build	O
a	O
fast	O
forward	O
model	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
particularly	O
large	O
and	O
varied	O
action	O
space.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
StarCraft	B-Application
II	I-Application
is	O
a	O
popular	O
fast-paced	O
online	O
real-time	O
strategy	O
game	O
by	O
Blizzard	O
Entertainment	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
DeepMind	B-Application
Technologies	I-Application
was	O
founded	O
in	O
the	O
UK	O
in	O
2010	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
DeepMind	B-Application
became	O
a	O
Google	B-Application
subsidiary	O
in	O
2014	O
,	O
after	O
demonstrating	O
self-learning	O
bots	O
with	O
superhuman	O
ability	O
at	O
a	O
variety	O
of	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
2600	I-General_Concept
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
February	O
2015	O
,	O
computer	O
scientist	O
Zachary	O
Mason	O
predicted	O
Deepmind	B-Application
's	O
research	O
"	O
leads	O
to	O
StarCraft	O
in	O
five	O
or	O
ten	O
years	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2016	O
,	O
following	O
AlphaGo	B-Application
's	I-Application
victory	I-Application
over	I-Application
Lee	I-Application
Sedol	I-Application
,	O
a	O
world	O
champion	O
Go	O
player	O
,	O
Hassabis	O
publicly	O
mulled	O
building	O
an	O
AI	B-Application
for	O
StarCraft	O
,	O
citing	O
it	O
as	O
a	O
strategic	O
game	O
with	O
incomplete	O
information	O
where	O
(	O
unlike	O
Go	O
)	O
much	O
of	O
the	O
"	O
board	O
"	O
is	O
invisible	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
2017	O
,	O
DeepMind	B-Application
was	O
experimenting	O
with	O
feeding	O
StarCraft	O
data	O
into	O
its	O
software	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
August	O
2017	O
,	O
DeepMind	B-Application
and	O
Blizzard	O
released	O
development	O
tools	O
to	O
assist	O
in	O
bot	O
development	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
data	O
from	O
65,000	O
past	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
time	O
,	O
computer	O
scientist	O
and	O
StarCraft	O
tournament	O
manager	O
David	O
Churchill	O
guessed	O
it	O
would	O
take	O
five	O
years	O
for	O
a	O
bot	O
to	O
beat	O
a	O
human	O
,	O
but	O
made	O
the	O
caveat	O
that	O
AlphaGo	B-Application
had	O
beaten	O
expectations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
But	O
when	O
it	O
does	O
,	O
it	O
will	O
be	O
a	O
far	O
greater	O
achievement	O
than	O
DeepMind	B-Application
's	O
conquest	O
of	O
Go.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
19	O
December	O
2018	O
,	O
DeepMind	B-Application
's	O
bot	O
defeated	O
"	O
a	O
top	O
professional	O
player	O
"	O
,	O
Grzegorz	O
"	O
MaNa	O
"	O
Komincz	O
,	O
5-0	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
DeepMind	B-Application
announced	O
the	O
bot	O
,	O
named	O
"	O
AlphaStar	B-Application
"	O
,	O
on	O
24	O
January	O
2019	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
journalist	O
at	O
Ars	O
Technica	O
and	O
others	O
argued	O
that	O
AlphaStar	B-Application
still	O
had	O
unfair	O
advantages	O
:	O
"	O
AlphaStar	B-Application
has	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
make	O
its	O
clicks	O
with	O
surgical	O
precision	O
using	O
an	O
API	O
,	O
whereas	O
human	O
players	O
are	O
constrained	O
by	O
the	O
mechanical	O
limits	O
of	O
computer	O
mice	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
AlphaStar	B-Application
also	O
had	O
a	O
global	O
view	O
rather	O
than	O
being	O
limited	O
by	O
the	O
in-game	O
camera	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Furthermore	O
,	O
while	O
there	O
was	O
a	O
cap	O
on	O
the	O
number	O
of	O
actions	O
over	O
a	O
five-second	O
window	O
,	O
AlphaStar	B-Application
was	O
free	O
to	O
allocate	O
its	O
action	O
quota	O
unevenly	O
across	O
the	O
window	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
launch	O
superhuman	O
bursts	O
of	O
activity	O
at	O
critical	O
moments	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
DeepMind	B-Application
quickly	O
retrained	O
AlphaStar	B-Application
under	O
more	O
realistic	O
constraints	O
,	O
and	O
then	O
lost	O
a	O
rematch	O
with	O
Komincz	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Starting	O
in	O
July	O
2019	O
,	O
the	O
new	O
,	O
constrained	O
version	O
of	O
AlphaStar	B-Application
anonymously	O
competed	O
against	O
players	O
who	O
"	O
opted	O
in	O
"	O
on	O
the	O
public	O
1v1	O
European	O
multiplayer	O
ladder	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
August	O
2019	O
,	O
AlphaStar	B-Application
had	O
attained	O
"	O
grandmaster	O
level	O
"	O
,	O
ranking	O
among	O
the	O
top	O
0.2	O
percent	O
of	O
human	O
players	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
AlphaZero	B-Application
,	O
AlphaStar	B-Application
initially	O
learns	O
to	O
imitate	O
the	O
moves	O
of	O
the	O
best	O
players	O
in	O
its	O
database	O
of	O
human	O
vs.	O
human	O
games	O
;	O
this	O
step	O
is	O
necessary	O
to	O
solve	O
what	O
DeepMind	B-Application
's	O
Dave	O
Silver	O
calls	O
"	O
the	O
exploration	O
problem	O
"	O
:	O
discovering	O
new	O
strategies	O
would	O
otherwise	O
be	O
like	O
finding	O
a	O
"	O
needle	O
in	O
a	O
haystack	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
his	O
5-0	O
defeat	O
in	O
December	O
2018	O
,	O
Komincz	O
stated	O
"	O
I	O
was	O
n't	O
expecting	O
the	O
AI	B-Application
to	O
be	O
that	O
good	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Stuart	O
Russell	O
assessed	O
that	O
AlphaStar	B-Application
's	O
2018	O
victory	O
required	O
"	O
a	O
fair	O
amount	O
of	O
problem-specific	O
effort	O
"	O
and	O
that	O
general-purpose	O
methods	O
were	O
"	O
not	O
quite	O
ready	O
for	O
StarCraft	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
article	O
in	O
Wired	O
UK	O
judged	O
AlphaStar	B-Application
's	O
new	O
constraints	O
,	O
adopted	O
for	O
the	O
July	O
2019	O
matches	O
,	O
to	O
be	O
"	O
fair	O
"	O
this	O
time	O
around	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
StarCraft	O
pro	O
Raza	O
"	O
RazerBlader	O
"	O
Sekha	O
stated	O
AlphaStar	B-Application
was	O
"	O
impressive	O
"	O
but	O
had	O
its	O
quirks	O
,	O
succumbing	O
in	O
one	O
game	O
to	O
an	O
unorthodox	O
army	O
composition	O
made	O
up	O
of	O
only	O
air	O
units	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
UK	O
's	O
top	O
player	O
,	O
Joshua	O
"	O
RiSky	O
"	O
Hayward	O
,	O
expressed	O
some	O
disappointment	O
,	O
saying	O
AlphaStar	B-Application
"	O
often	O
did	O
n't	O
make	O
the	O
most	O
efficient	O
,	O
strategic	O
decisions	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Pro	O
Diego	O
"	O
Kelazhur	O
"	O
Schwimer	O
called	O
AlphaStar	B-Application
's	O
play	O
"	O
unimaginably	O
unusual	O
;	O
it	O
really	O
makes	O
you	O
question	O
how	O
much	O
of	O
StarCraft	O
's	O
diverse	O
possibilities	O
pro	O
players	O
have	O
really	O
explored	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
AlphaStar	B-Application
's	O
opponents	O
often	O
did	O
not	O
realize	O
they	O
were	O
playing	O
a	O
bot	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ian	O
Sample	O
of	O
The	O
Guardian	O
called	O
AlphaStar	B-Application
a	O
"	O
landmark	O
achievement	O
"	O
for	O
the	O
field	O
of	O
artificial	B-Application
intelligence	I-Application
.	I-Application
</s>
<s>
Churchill	O
stated	O
that	O
he	O
had	O
previously	O
seen	O
bots	O
that	O
master	O
one	O
or	O
two	O
elements	O
of	O
StarCraft	O
,	O
but	O
that	O
AlphaStar	B-Application
was	O
the	O
first	O
that	O
can	O
handle	O
the	O
game	O
in	O
its	O
entirety	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
AI	B-Application
researcher	O
Jon	O
Dodge	O
was	O
surprised	O
by	O
AlphaStar	B-Application
,	O
stating	O
he	O
did	O
not	O
expect	O
such	O
a	O
"	O
superhuman	O
"	O
performance	O
for	O
"	O
another	O
couple	O
of	O
years	O
"	O
;	O
in	O
contrast	O
,	O
Churchill	O
states	O
"	O
StarCraft	O
is	O
nowhere	O
near	O
being	O
'	O
solved	O
 '	O
,	O
and	O
AlphaStar	B-Application
is	O
not	O
yet	O
even	O
close	O
to	O
playing	O
at	O
a	O
world	O
champion	O
level	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
DeepMind	B-Application
argues	O
that	O
insights	O
from	O
AlphaStar	B-Application
might	O
benefit	O
robots	O
,	O
self-driving	O
cars	O
and	O
virtual	O
assistants	O
,	O
which	O
need	O
to	O
operate	O
with	O
"	O
imperfectly	O
observed	O
information	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Silver	O
has	O
indicated	O
his	O
lab	O
"	O
may	O
rest	O
at	O
this	O
point	O
"	O
,	O
rather	O
than	O
try	O
to	O
substantially	O
improve	O
AlphaStar	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Silver	O
himself	O
argues	O
that	O
"	O
AlphaStar	B-Application
has	O
become	O
the	O
first	O
AI	B-Application
system	O
to	O
reach	O
the	O
top	O
tier	O
of	O
human	O
performance	O
in	O
any	O
professionally	O
played	O
e-sport	O
on	O
the	O
full	O
unrestricted	O
game	O
under	O
professionally	O
approved	O
conditions	O
...	O
</s>
<s>
Ever	O
since	O
computers	O
cracked	O
Go	O
,	O
chess	O
and	O
poker	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
of	O
StarCraft	O
has	O
emerged	O
,	O
essentially	O
by	O
consensus	O
from	O
the	O
community	O
,	O
as	O
the	O
next	O
grand	O
challenge	O
for	O
AI.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Computer	O
scientist	O
Noel	O
Sharkey	O
argues	O
,	O
disapprovingly	O
,	O
that	O
"	O
military	O
analysts	O
will	O
certainly	O
be	O
eyeing	O
the	O
successful	O
AlphaStar	B-Application
real-time	O
strategies	O
as	O
a	O
clear	O
example	O
of	O
the	O
advantages	O
of	O
AI	B-Application
for	O
battlefield	O
planning	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
contrast	O
,	O
Silver	O
argues	O
:	O
"	O
To	O
say	O
that	O
this	O
has	O
any	O
kind	O
of	O
military	O
use	O
is	O
saying	O
no	O
more	O
than	O
to	O
say	O
an	O
AI	B-Application
for	O
chess	O
could	O
be	O
used	O
to	O
lead	O
to	O
military	O
applications	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
