AlphaGo rises to world's No 1 player

AlphaGo is now the world's No 1 Go player, ending thousands of years of human dominance in the game.

According to the latest GoRating, AlphaGo replaced Chinese player Ke Jie on Monday to become the world's No 1, the first nonhuman to win the honor.

The program was designed by Google DeepMind, a British artificial intelligence company.

It beat South Korean Go master Lee Se-dol 4 games to 1 in March, causing a sensation around the world.

Rumors said AlphaGo would face off against Ke Jie after beating Lee, but this was denied by DeepMind co-founder Demis Hassabis.

According to GoRating rules, a player's score changes according to the opponent's, so for example, AlphaGo will see its score go up if Lee's score increases.

Defeating a human Go master is not the only thing AI can achieve. DeepMind also plans to apply its AI technology to improve human well-being, including promoting healthcare in cooperation with the National Healthcare Service.

The success of AlphaGo drew global attention to AI, a sector attracting increasing investment.

Global AI revenue is expected to reach 119 billion yuan ($18.1 billion) in 2020, an average annual growth rate of 19.7 percent from 2015, according to a report by consulting firm iResearch.

China will develop new AI sectors and promote key innovation projects in the next three to five years, according to an internet and AI development guide released by the National Development and Reform Commission, the country's top economic planner, in May.

The authority said China's AI market was projected to reach the trillion-yuan level by 2018.