IBM's Watson vs. Trivia Geniuses

[buwish]

Have a look at the link below and head to the first video to see IBM's supercomputer Watson open a can on a few past Jeopardy champions. Well, it was pretty close, but Watson looks like a tough competitor. No doubt I'll be checking those episodes out when they air (in Feb I think?).

http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/13/ibms-watson-supercomputer-destroys-all-humans-in-jeopardy-pract/

 

[maddy617]

thats one clever super computer

 

[stingstang]

I can't understand why they needed a super computer to do this. The whole process is about programming, not computing speed. All Watson is is an expensive search engine.

 

[buwish]

Not necessarily. Have a look at the link below:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/stephen-baker/why-ibms-watson-is-smarte_b_805731.html

 

[akula2]

I can't understand why they needed a super computer to do this. The whole process is about programming, not computing speed. All Watson is is an expensive search engine.

And, how those well written super programs are supposed to get executed to get the best results in minimum time
So, your statement has a big hole in it because Software enables the Hardware and vice-versa.
It's roughly something like saying that a Ferrari 458 Italia car is all about Petrol, not its Engine!

 

[wanamingo]

Just so you know Watson is not hooked up to the internet. It also has to hit a physical button just like the other contestants.

 

[buwish]

Indeed, Watson is not connected to the Internet. Instead, it uses a database full of info from encyclopedias, dictionaries, various literature books, math, etc... Wonder how much storage it has on board?

 

[wanamingo]

"Watson, a supercomputer, will be using DeepQA technology to procure Jeopardy! answers. It is armed with a Linux system that is powered by 10 refrigerator-sized racks of IBM POWER 750, with 15 terabytes of RAM and a 2,880 processor core."

Watson can scan 2 million pages in about 3 seconds.

But will it understand Trebeks sly wit? I think not.

 

[buwish]

If it does, it would be a very good idea not to ever connect Watson to the Interet so it doesn't share such info with all the other machines

 

[buwish]

Looks like Watson fared pretty well in the first round:

http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/innovation/02/14/jeopardy.ibm.watson/index.html?hpt=T2

Anyone else find it funny that the author refers to the computer as a he? Wonder how they can tell? Did they lift up Watson's skirt and have a look or remove one of its many access panels?

 

[wanamingo]

I for one welcome our new robotic overlords. Hail Watson!

 

[buwish]

It absolutely killed Jennings and Rutter today! Watson ended up with $35K or so, while Rutter had 10K and Jennings 5K. Watson did miss the the final jeopardy question though, which I and the human players knew, so I don't feel that stupid.

 

[wanamingo]

Ken stole my line........

 

[wanamingo]

Good News Everyone! I now read Buwish's post in Dr. Farnsworth's voice!

 

[buwish]

Everything is good news to Farnsworth!

Overall though, I was very impressed with Watson and what IBM did. Give it a few more years-decades and we'll have robots just like in Futurama running around talking/acting/understanding like humans.

 

[GunBladeType-T]

Just so you know Watson is not hooked up to the internet. It also has to hit a physical button just like the other contestants.

Is that the button that leads to the mind-melder ending from Fallout 1? or Beginning of Fallout 2 where the Advanced Power Armor teams guns down the family fresh out of the vault! Cool conan o brian vaultek icon!

 

[GunBladeType-T]

Well Dr. Watson is an important feature on Microsoft OS's and does some good scanning and identifies problems hardware-software-I/O! I remeber IBM's Big Blue knocked out the Chess Champion! I'm wondering what Quantum 3D does in terms of Super Computer functions! Lots of competitiors on the market, who ever has the most chips out usually wins, unless you bring out obne of those Alienware Dudes with the Big Cranium Orb to compete! Have them compete against super computers and the public!

 

[buwish]

Pretty soon, we'll all have super computers like the HAL 9000 in 2001: A Space Odyssey in our houses. We could have our own trivia matches at will!

 

[GunBladeType-T]

Are those Robotic Overlords the Dudes with the Chain Guns in the seats unloading the ammo at those mutants! or Google Android Phones Commercials or forever expanding Werewolf Technology from MG IV Guns of the patriots! It would be cool to get some people like you guys at the YMCA tek dudes and sci-fi people! Should almost open up here a SCi-FI team! Great topic guys i'm out with this last remark! Dude that looks like that mad scientist from animanics with wacko-jacko-warner sister is comical too, reminds me of Area-51 by midway games where the guy makes a remark the Cray Betrayed US! and goes nutz haha!

 

[Reynod]

This topic has been closed by Reynod