AI, Ageing and Brain-Work Productivity: Technological Change in Professional Japanese Chess

TL;DR

This study investigates how AI influences aging and innate ability in professional Japanese chess (Shogi), revealing AI's role in reducing innate skill importance and accelerating aging effects among top players.

Contribution

It provides novel empirical evidence on AI's impact on aging, innate ability, and performance dynamics in professional Shogi players from 1968 to 2019.

Findings

AI reduces innate ability and performance gaps among same-age players

Player winning rates decline with age, starting from 20 years old

AI accelerates aging effects on winning probability, especially for high innate skill players

Abstract

Using Japanese professional chess (Shogi) players records in the novel setting, this paper examines how and the extent to which the emergence of technological changes influences the ageing and innate ability of players winning probability. We gathered games of professional Shogi players from 1968 to 2019. The major findings are: (1) diffusion of artificial intelligence (AI) reduces innate ability, which reduces the performance gap among same-age players; (2) players winning rates declined consistently from 20 years and as they get older; (3) AI accelerated the ageing declination of the probability of winning, which increased the performance gap among different aged players; (4) the effects of AI on the ageing declination and the probability of winning are observed for high innate skill players but not for low innate skill ones. This implies that the diffusion of AI hastens players retirement from active play, especially for those with high innate abilities. Thus, AI is a substitute for innate ability in brain-work productivity.