For real. The bullet-point summary at the beginning with a "Why this matters for..." immediately followed by, "This isn't just a theoretical exercise—it's a real example of..." Dead giveaways.
Wild to ask, "Is it legal, ethical, responsible or even harmful to build in this way and publish it?" AFTER building and publishing it. Author made up his mind already, or doesn't actually care. Ethics and responsibility should guide one's actions, not just be engagement fodder after the fact.
I love Go! Been streaming it on Twitch for the last five years or so (https://twitch.tv/mirthturtle), lately as a "Go airline" (MS Flight Simulator & Go simultaneously). There is an engaged community in the Twitch category, if you are looking for Go friends, but still, nowhere near as large as Chess.