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<\/p>\nArtificial intelligence appears to have achieved another landmark by setting the first Sudoku puzzle that human experts have conceded is worth their time.<\/p>\n
Sudoku, for the uninitiated, is a number puzzle played on a grid. The most common form is nine rows and nine columns. The aim is to fill the grid so that each row, each column and each of nine smaller boxes within contains the digits 1 to 9 exactly once. No arithmetic is required. The appeal lies in deduction: you have to work out what goes where, purely by considering where the digits can (and cannot) go.<\/p>\n
The puzzle\u2019s modern form emerged in Japan in the 1980s; in the 2000s it became a global craze. It has since spawned a thriving subculture devoted to ever more elaborate variations.<\/p>\n
These variant Sudokus alter or add rules. Some, for instance, place mathematical constraints on what numbers can go in neighbouring spaces; others might prevent identical digits from being placed a chess knight\u2019s move away from themselves. Designing a good variant is harder than solving one. The creator must ensure that the puzzle has a unique solution and, ideally, that it is fun to complete.<\/p>\n
According to Simon Anthony, a former member of Britain\u2019s national Sudoku team and a co-creator of a popular YouTube channel dedicated to the puzzles, AI has now achieved this.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am fairly blown away,\u201d Anthony said after tackling the AI-generated variant.<\/p>\n
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Simon Anthony tackled Spotlight Fracture on his YouTube channel. Scroll to the end of the article to try it for yourself<\/p>\n
Computer software has been used to generate standard puzzles for decades. But, as far as Anthony is aware, AI has \u201cnever set a successful variant Sudoku without extensive human involvement and repeated prompting and modifications\u201d.<\/p>\n
Mick Hodgkin, puzzles editor at The Times and The Sunday Times, said: \u201cStandard Sudokus have long been computer-generated, but the kind of complex variant seen here normally requires the personal touch.<\/p>\n
\u201cMost of our puzzles are handmade by humans, but if AI is coming for craft Sudoku, what next? The cryptic crossword could be the last holdout of human puzzling ingenuity.\u201d<\/p>\n