IBM has officially unveiled its plans for a new supercomputer codenamed “Watson”. This new artificial intelligence and reasoning computer is set to compete against human contestants on the quiz show Jeopardy!.
For over two years, IBM has been developing the technology behind Watson in a research project called DeepQA. This project is the follow-up to the infamous Deep Blue chess computer that successfully defeated World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov in 1997. This chess match still stands as one of the crowning moments in the battle between man and machines.
In order to compete on a live, real time quiz show like Jeopardy!, Watson must be leaps and bounds ahead of any computer system developed to date. IBM scientists have been developing advanced artificial intelligence, voice recognition, and parallel processing software that will be unlike anything the world has ever seen. Today’s computers are incredibly fast and react well to specified user inputs, but Watson will have to interpret not only the audible questions, but the underlying meaning behind them. Jeopardy! questions often involve subtle riddles and hidden complexities that humans can pick up on in a fraction of a second. In order for Watson to compete, its software will have to think like a human.
If it is successful, IBM will make a leap into the next realm of artificial intelligence technology. Watson has the potential to be the first computer system with software that can seamlessly interact with humans in natural language-related tasks. Its software will analyze enormous volumes of language data extremely quickly to determine the meaning of voice inputs, and then calculate an appropriate response. This is the supercomputer of science fiction movies that can listen in on conversations and then offer its guidance.
A date for Watson’s debut on Jeopardy! has not been set, but plans for the show are already in place. Who will win in this next great clash between humans and computers? If the past is any indication of the future, my money is on Watson.
For more information, check out the video below, and then click over to the official IBM Watson website.
