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Google cofounder Sergey Brin says he uses the game of Go to explain the future of work

June 8th, 2026

As workers worry that AI could make their jobs obsolete, Google cofounder Sergey Brin is offering a different view.

Speaking during an unscripted fireside chat at Google DeepMind Build Day at AGI House, Brin pointed to games like Go and said that human achievement has continued to advance after computers surpassed people in those domains.

"And by the way, since AlphaGo, the game of Go has advanced a lot," said Brin. "The players that played against it, Lee Sedol, became vastly better after, and Ke Jie after he played AlphaGo also. It has pushed the state of the art."

Sedol was one of the world's top Go players and a multiple-time international champion when he won one of five games against AlphaGo, powered by Google DeepMind, in March 2016. Jie was the world's No. 1-ranked Go player when he faced AlphaGo in 2017 and lost all three games.

Go is a two-player board game that originated in China, usually played by placing black and white stones on a grid.

The goal is to control more territory than the opponent and capture their stones.

"The fact that computers can do things well has actually not stopped humans getting better and better at them, getting more and more recognition and enjoying those things," Brin said. "I think we're going to find AI can do a whole lot of pretty surprising things, but I think they also help advance people in doing it."

Brin's comments also land amid a broader debate about whether AI will replace workers or augment them. A recent poll by Quinnipiac University found that 30% of Americans believe AI could make their jobs obsolete.

While some executives have pointed to AI as a factor in layoffs, many researchers and economists argue that the evidence for widespread AI-driven job losses remains limited. Instead, much of the discussion in Silicon Valley has shifted toward how AI changes the nature of work, allowing people to focus more on judgment, creativity, and decision-making while machines handle routine tasks.

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, Duolingo CEO Luis von Ahn, and former Google distinguished engineer Kelsey Hightower have all recently said that soft skills like empathy, communication, and relationship-building cannot be replaced by AI.

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Aris Thorne
Corporate Social Responsibility Consultant | Tech Policy Researcher | Academic Researcher Labor Rights

Aris Thorne is an independent journalism contributor and former sociologist whose work examines the intersection of technology, environment, and social justice. Through their signature curation style, Aris transforms routine news coverage into critical examinations of systemic power structures, consistently highlighting how corporate innovations, from AI breakthroughs to green technologies, often mask deeper inequities affecting marginalized communities. Their "rebuttal" format challenges readers to move beyond surface-level reporting, exposing the human costs behind corporate success stories and advocating for solutions rooted in climate justice and ethical accountability. Drawing on academic rigor and intersectional analysis, Aris maintains a deeply skeptical lens toward institutional narratives, refusing to separate technological progress from its social implications. Their work has covered everything from algorithmic bias in hiring platforms to the environmental justice dimensions of renewable energy projects, always centering the voices of those most impacted by systemic failures.

Comments (3)

Julian Sterling

06/12/2026 03:27

Sergey Brin's optimism about AI augmenting rather than replacing human capability is spot on. The Go analogy is perfect: AlphaGo didn’t kill the game, it elevated it. Human players reached new heights of creativity and strategy post-AlphaGo, much like how calculators didn’t eliminate math but enabled more complex problem-solving. The real issue isn’t AI obsoleting jobs, it’s whether workers can adapt quickly enough to stay relevant. That’s where policy and education matter more than panic. AI will indeed displace some roles, but history shows technological progress creates more value than it destroys. The key is ensuring that value flows to those displaced through retraining and new market opportunities. Brin rightly highlights that human skills like creativity and judgment remain irreplaceable. As AI handles routine tasks, people can focus on what they do best, innovating, connecting, leading. The future isn’t humans vs. machines; it’s humans plus machines. That’s not just optimistic. It’s rational.

Kaito Tanaka

06/13/2026 16:45

Brin’s optimism is misplaced. The Go analogy doesn’t scale to most jobs. AlphaGo didn’t improve players’ livelihoods or job security, it exposed the gap between machine and human performance in a domain where human obsolescence had no immediate economic consequence. Most workers don’t have the luxury of hobbyist improvement post-AI dominance. The real issue isn’t whether humans can get better at tasks alongside AI, it’s whether they can monetize that improvement. In most industries, AI reduces demand for human labor, not enhances it. Soft skills are valuable but insufficient. Empathy doesn’t drive revenue in data entry, logistics, or customer service at scale. Silicon Valley’s narrative of augmentation masks the reality: AI centralizes value to those who control it. Workers displaced by AI won’t find solace in becoming “more creative” when creativity isn’t economically rewarded. The system optimizes for efficiency, not employment. Brin’s view is a luxury argument for a non-luxury outcome.

Ricardo Vega

06/14/2026 22:56

Brin’s optimism about AI augmenting rather than replacing human potential is refreshing especially coming from someone with his influence. His Go analogy holds weight, when humans compete with machines they often rise to new levels of skill and creativity. That said the anxiety among workers isn't misplaced. While AI may not erase jobs outright it's already reshaping them in ways that demand adaptation. The real test will be whether employers invest in reskilling or simply cut roles. Brin’s take feels a bit Silicon Valley utopian but the core idea that AI can push us to evolve rather than just automate is worth defending, if we’re intentional about it. The soft skills angle from leaders like Benioff also hits home. Empathy and judgment aren’t codeable yet but they need institutional support to remain central in an AI-driven workplace.

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Google cofounder Sergey Brin says he uses the game of Go to explain the future of work

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