An AI bot who is designed for winning in poker is now all set to join the US Army. Around two years ago, the AI bot garnered attention after defeating several expert poker players in no-limit Texas Hold’em. It also managed to bag $677,000 in play money from the poker champions by playing calculatively how they might respond to its moves.
For an Artificial Intelligence, the game of poker is considered to be a difficult game. This is due to it not being a ‘perfect information game’ as the players can’t see the cards of their rivals. Poker is now being accepted as a game of skill because it uses the applications of body language and deception, thus the software needed to come up with betting strategies and even for demonstrating the ability to bluff.
Tuomos Sandholm, one of the developers of the AI bot founded a start up called Strategy Robot for adapting the technology for government needs and his hard work bore fruits after the Pentagon hired the bot for $10 million. Libratus is now going to work for a Pentagon agency called Defense Innovation Unit. China have started recruiting people who can build bots for the military.