This is not quite true. Raw policy networks of AlphaGo-like models are often at a level around 3 dan in amateur rankings, which would qualify as a good amateur player but nowhere near the equivalent of grandmaster level. If you match percentiles in the rating distributions, 3d in Go is perhaps about as strong as an 1800 elo player in chess, while “master level” is at least 2200 elo and “grandmaster level” starts at 2500 elo.
Edit: Seems like policy networks have improved since I last checked these rankings, and the biggest networks currently available for public use can achieve a strength of possibly as high as 6d without MCTS. That would be somewhat weaker than a professional player, but not by much. Still far off from “grandmaster level” though.
According to figure 6b in “Mastering the Game of Go without Human Knowledge”, the raw policy network has 3055 elo, which according to this other page (I have not checked that these Elos are comparable) makes it the 465th best player. (I don’t know much about this and so might be getting the inferences wrong, hopefully the facts are useful)
I don’t think those ratings are comparable. On the other hand, my estimate of 3d was apparently lowballing it based on some older policy networks, and newer ones are perhaps as strong as 4d to 6d, which on the upper end is still weaker than professional players but not by much.
However, there is a big gap between weak professional players and “grandmaster level”, and I don’t think the raw policy network of AlphaGo could play competitively against a grandmaster level Go player.
This is not quite true. Raw policy networks of AlphaGo-like models are often at a level around 3 dan in amateur rankings, which would qualify as a good amateur player but nowhere near the equivalent of grandmaster level. If you match percentiles in the rating distributions, 3d in Go is perhaps about as strong as an 1800 elo player in chess, while “master level” is at least 2200 elo and “grandmaster level” starts at 2500 elo.
Edit: Seems like policy networks have improved since I last checked these rankings, and the biggest networks currently available for public use can achieve a strength of possibly as high as 6d without MCTS. That would be somewhat weaker than a professional player, but not by much. Still far off from “grandmaster level” though.
According to figure 6b in “Mastering the Game of Go without Human Knowledge”, the raw policy network has 3055 elo, which according to this other page (I have not checked that these Elos are comparable) makes it the 465th best player. (I don’t know much about this and so might be getting the inferences wrong, hopefully the facts are useful)
I don’t think those ratings are comparable. On the other hand, my estimate of 3d was apparently lowballing it based on some older policy networks, and newer ones are perhaps as strong as 4d to 6d, which on the upper end is still weaker than professional players but not by much.
However, there is a big gap between weak professional players and “grandmaster level”, and I don’t think the raw policy network of AlphaGo could play competitively against a grandmaster level Go player.