Post Editorial: We Win

Reigning chess champion Garry Kasparov's current battle against an IBM computer named Deep Blue is being portrayed as a possible turning point in human history. Mr. Kasparov beat the computer last year, but since then the machine has been "juiced up with faster chips," according to Washington Post reporter Rajiv Chandrasekaran, and is given a good chance of beating the world's best human chess player. Chung-Jen Tan, manager of the Deep Blue project for IBM, said, "This is not just about a chess match. This is about the future."

As a result, many humans among our readers (we don't vouch for the others) may have flinched at the sight of Mr. Kasparov squirming, sighing, burying his face in his hands and, eventually, conceding defeat Sunday in the second game of his six-game rematch with Deep Blue. The series is now tied at one, with the third game scheduled for today. If a machine can defeat the best of our species at chess -- "a domain that humans have viewed as sacrosanct, something that is quintessentially possessed by human intelligence," according to Oliver B. Strimpel, executive director of the Computer Museum in Boston -- then what human endeavor is safe? Already, computers teach our children, compose music, direct air traffic. What could be next? Editorial writing?

Our first reaction was denial. So Deep Blue can beat Garry Kasparov at chess; so big deal. Can it play softball? Can it even thumb-wrestle? Aren't those quintessentially human, too?

Somehow, though, this line of inquiry wasn't reassuring, and neither was the gloating of Deep Blue's programmers. "This was not computer chess," said Joel Benjamin, a former U.S. chess champion who's been coaching the computer. "This was real chess." "We feel great," said Joe Hoane, another member of the IBM team. "We showed we can play at the level of a world champion."

But those comments do hold out some hope. Mr. Benjamin and Mr. Hoane at first might seem to be traitors to their species. ("What do you mean, 'We feel great?' " we could imagine Deep Blue saying to itself with a chuckle.) But then, maybe they had a point. It was a team of humans, after all, who had "juiced up" Deep Blue and who, after the computer's defeat in the first game on Friday, had further tweaked it here and there to improve its chances. No matter who wins the tournament, in other words, human ingenuity would be triumphant.

Maybe we were just saying that to make ourselves feel better. But so what? Self-delusion is quintessentially human, too.