Chess AI

Dear all,
A new era of chess arises. AI is state-of-the-art, and chess can benefit a lot. As a chess coach and AI researcher, I start this conversation in order to create a group to share ideas, papers and projects. I call on every chess enthusiast and especially AI experts to comment their ideas and opinions below. Will AI destroy chess or will it upgrade it to the next level?
I am looking forward to hearing your thoughts!

Dear @mauripoluthrona
AI has already destroyed chess as a game. And it will do the same with any deterministic game.

@ErzyaKS said in #2:

Dear @mauripoluthrona
AI has already destroyed chess as a game. And it will do the same with any deterministic game.
Dear @ErzyaKS and all,
I respectfully disagree with the idea that AI has "destroyed" chess. Rather, AI has transformed chess — and arguably, for the better. Here’s why:
AI has deepened our understanding of chess far beyond what was possible before. New strategies, ideas, and even entire openings (like the ones seen from AlphaZero’s games) have been discovered thanks to AI. It has expanded the creative space, not closed it. H4 and G4 in the middle game is the new meta
Chess remains a human competition. When two humans sit across the board, even if they have studied with engines, the psychological, strategic, and emotional aspects are deeply human and irreplaceable.
AI tools have democratized learning. Now anyone with internet access can train like a grandmaster. It’s not about replacing the joy of playing; it's about enhancing it.
Determinism does not mean death. Chess has always been deterministic in theory. But it is practically infinite in complexity for humans. Even with all engine power, humans still find new ways to make mistakes, create beauty, and surprise each other.
Rather than "destroying" deterministic games, AI challenges us to evolve how we engage with them, just like the invention of the printing press challenged oral storytelling without killing it.

I think that "human" chess still has a very long future ahead of it. Unfortunately, AI has now become more like a curiosity, than a real innovation.

Where AI is useful (archeology, science, medicine, cryptography), ordinary people pay little or no attention because of little understanding and little interest.

And where AI is merely a diversion or an opportunity for dishonesty, there is a wider audience of users, but especially spectators.

AI is useful in the analytical or historical aspects of chess, whether for finding another long variations lines or new refutations, or for helping to decipher ancient manuscripts. But AI is not intended to, and cannot, completely replace humans. At best, AI will be a tool that, in the long term, could begin to replace certain tasks that are dangerous for humans. But even in the case if AI will "solves" chess (which is highly unlikely for a long time), players will need even more exceptional memories and an even deeper knowledge of psychology. Chess will therefore have a new era, where AI will be a useful preparation tool but where human players will have to innovate in their way of perceiving the game.

Also : AI will also be a problem and a solution for cheating, chess servers will be able to use artificial intelligence on a larger scale capable of detecting cheating even better, but this is not likely to end the problem.

@mauripoluthrona

Chess, like any deterministic game with perfect information, is in a sense a 'memory game' where victory depends on the depth of memorization and pattern analysis. Essentially, the winner is the one who more efficiently operates with positions, variations, and typical solutions 'cached' in memory - much like someone might win a competition for memorizing the digits of π after the decimal point. At its core, a grandmaster, for example, is simply a walking database of heuristics that has learned to simulate understanding - nothing more.
So yeah, in this context - AI is a must-have for any serious chess player.

@ErzyaKS said in #2:

AI has already destroyed chess as a game.
As there is no actual AI yet, it could hardly have destroyed anything.

@mkubecek

Let's add a little metaphysics. Do you think AI was invented by humans or discovered by them?

As I said, there is nothing yet that could be really called AI. Therefore such question does not make sense.

well depends heavily on you definition of AI. AI is science that tries to emulate human decission process. every single chess engine all the way fro 50's fulfills this definition so we have had AI for quite some time. Obviously functional only on limited sandboxes.

More formally:
"the theory and development of computer systems able to perform tasks normally requiring human intelligence, such as visual perception, speech recognition, decision-making, and translation between languages."

And we have tools for all those some better some worse. It may perform tyou your liking but it is still AI. As this singular branch of large language models: I find hard to believe that anytime soon it can contribute chess playing or literature. But then again automamic translation was joke about 20 years ago - it aint anymore.

At its core, the development of artificial intelligence should be guided by a singular imperative: to advance human well-being. AI is not an autonomous force with inherent moral alignment, it is a tool, one with unparalleled potential to elevate quality of life through innovation in healthcare, education, sustainability, and equity. Like fire, electricity, or nuclear energy, its impact hinges entirely on humanity’s stewardship. History teaches us that transformative technologies carry dual-edged consequences; what defines their legacy is not their inherent capability, but the ethical frameworks and societal priorities that govern their use.

To harness AI responsibly, we must prioritize intentional collaboration over reactive fear.
This demands:

Ethical Governance: Establishing transparent, inclusive policies that prioritize public good over unchecked profit. Market-driven exploitation risks entrenching inequality, as corporate interests often prioritize short-term gains over long-term societal health.

Combatting Disinformation: A united front against misinformation is critical. Divisive narratives thrive in environments of uncertainty; fostering digital literacy and open dialogue can mitigate polarization.

Proactive Innovation: Redirecting AI’s capabilities toward solving systemic challenges climate modeling, medical diagnostics, and equitable resource distribution—demonstrates its capacity as a force for collective progress.

Critiques of AI’s dangers are valid, yet pessimism risks becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy. Fear stifles agency, and resignation plays into the hands of those who would wield AI for extraction rather than empowerment. Capitalism’s profit-centric lens often distorts technology’s purpose, but this trajectory is not inevitable. By advocating for public-private partnerships, worker-centric automation, and global accountability frameworks, we can align AI’s evolution with democratic values.

The path forward requires vigilance, but also optimism. Let us not cede the narrative to dystopian fatalism. Instead, let communities, policymakers, and technologists coalesce around a shared vision: AI not as a disruptor, but as a collaborator in building societies where technology serves humanity, not the reverse.