And AI is just one strand. There are several strands that are as deeply changing, that is happening simultaneously.

I remember someone speaking about the shift between classical hard sci fi and more current sci-fi authors like Neal Stephenson or Peter Hamilton. The classical authors like Heinlein or Asimov might do world building where they just change one thing. What would the world be like if that one thing changed? After a certain point though, things were changing so fast that later authors didn't do that. There were too many things that changed at the same time.

Except if a big solar flare hits us ;}

Various commentators mentioned how both players, human and synthetic, made a few mistakes. Even I caught a slow move made by the AI. So whether Lee Sedol was at the top of his peformance, or not, is a bit of a debate. But the AI was clearly on the same level, whatever that means.

It was an intense fight throughout the game, with both players making bold moves and taking risks. Fantastic show.

The slow move might just mean that this was sufficiently big and safer.

Fan Hui said the machine played extremely consistently 6 months ago. He said playing the computer was "like pushing against a wall" - just very strong, very consistent performance.

Also, the people working on it flat out told the world that today's version of AlphaGo beats October's version literally all the time.

There are different strategies depending upon how much emphasis is placed upon early territorial gains as opposed to "influence" which is used for later later territorial gains.

Similarly, playing "passive" moves that make territory without starting a "fight" versus agressively contesting for every piece of territory available.