Champions of The International 2018 will today face OpenAI 5, an artificial intellegence team, in a Dota 2 showmatch in San Francisco.
It’s the latest attempt to pit sophisticated learning machines against leading Dota 2 players after a similar experiment during The International 2018 in Vancouver last year.
OG vs OpenAI 5 2019 VOD
OpenAI Five were beaten in two matches in Vancouver – by paiN Gaming and a Chinese all-star team – but are ready to go again on Saturday against OG.
OpenAI 5 are, in fact, favourites to win but Sujoy Roy, a former pro gamer, Dota aficionado and Luckbox's Director of Esports is desperate for the human roster to prevail.
Sujoy said: "OG are our hope. It's about what esports means to me - what does it demonstrate?
"One of the arguments I often make is that running fast, jumping high, throwing a spear - these things used to be really important if you wanted to survive. In the modern world, though, you don't often need to run that fast. You can get an Uber these days.
"If you're hungry, you don't thrown a spear at an animal very often, you can go to the supermarket and checkout with your smartphone. Those skills that used to be important are not quite as impressive as they used to be.
Respect OpenAI but OG are my guys
"But the skills we watch every day in esports - those are the skills you can get behind. Those skills are amazing talents. It's the kind of thing that makes you a successful human being in the modern world.
"Being able to play Dota 2 demonstrates the ability to strategise, to plan, to parallel process, to out-think your opponent. And it's a team game, so there's team-work, communication, leadership, there's so much going on, all of which demonstrates that you're a valuable member of the human race.
"That's what I like to celebrate. The pinnacle of human ability. So Team OG, they're my champions, the people I'm supporting.
"I don't want to say OpenAI 5 is terrible, it's incredible what's being created. The fact that this programme, this learning algorithm, has become so competitive is a huge achievement but I don't want them to win.
"I'm calling on you humans out there to support humanity. If OpenAI wins this, it's going to be a sad day. I don't like it when a game is solved."
