Suppose we define smart software as software that performs tasks humans are good at and performs at a similar or higher level. Does smart software exist? There are several examples that might be smart software based on neural networks, for example the pole balancing task. But I'm not sure pole balancing is considered smart by humans. Rule-based expert systems are not necessarily smart. They are lost when confronted with unexpected input, something humans are extremely good at.
The only example of smart software I can think of are programs that play chess (and other formally defined games). The win by Deep Blue over Garry Kasparov in a six game match in 1997 hit the news headlines and was seen as an example of software outsmarting the best human.
These days every chess player has a chess playing program on his PC, I use Fritz. The normal scenario is to play a game against a human opponent and afterwards enter the game into Fritz in order to find out the mistakes made or chances missed. Sometimes Fritz finds an idea that is so beatiful and unexpected that it appears the program is not just smart, but has reached an artistic level.
The position on the left is from a recent chess game. I am playing White and the last move was 20. Qxe4. 20... Qxa2 This is what I hoped for. Black wins a pawn, but White's pieces work together well. 20... Bxa2 is objectively better, as after 21. Ra1 the simple 21... Qd5 suffices. 21.Bd3! That was the idea. 21... Bf5 The logical move, alternatives are 21... Rh6 and 21... g6 but in either case White has some compensation for the pawn. 22. Bc4+ Kh8 Of course not 22... Kf8? 23. Qxf5 and White is winning. 23. Qe7! Qa4 24. Rfd1 Threatening 25. Rd8+ with mate to follow. 24... Qa5 Defends square d8. A better move to achieve the same would have been 24... Rff8. 25.e4 I played this without much thought. The idea being that after 25... Bg6 26. Rd7 is winning. Fritz came up with a direct win without too much computation: 25. Ra1! Qb6 26. Rxa7!! Raf8 27. Rxb7. This is not hard to find, even for someone of my playing standard, I just was not looking for it. 25... Bg4 26. f3 Again trying to prevent the black bishop from defending square d7. 26... Qb6+ 27. Kh1 Rxf3 White cannot accept the rook: 28. gxf3 Bxf3 mate. I had prepared a response that would win the game immediately, I thought. 28. Rb1 See the diagram on the right.
Black played: 28... Qf2 The only logical move. The black queen is attacked and after all other sensible moves by the queen 29. Rd8+ wins for White. After 28... Qf2 29. Rd8+ Black plays 29... Rf8. Fritz does not only look at logical moves, it considers them all and finds an amazing defence: 28... Re3!! While the black queen is attacked, Fritz places a rook in the middle of nowhere. Beauty and effectiveness go hand in hand here. 29. Rxb6 Bxd1 Suddenly Black threatens to mate with 30... Re1 and White loses an extra rook. After 30. h3 axb6 Black has more than sufficient compensation for the queen. 29. Rb2! A nice move to conclude the game. Black resigned.
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