There's one surefire way researchers like to test the capabilities of their artificial intelligence systems—games.

Earlier this year, Google Deepmind created a computerthat can learn how to play video games with no instructions. In 30 minutes, the computer became the best Space Invader player in the world.

And most are familiar with the time when IBM's Deep Blue computer beat world chess champion Garry Kasparov in 1996.

But artificial intelligence has yet to tackle the game Go — an Eastern, two-player game that has more than 300 times the number of plays as chess.