In the olden days, it was said that a computer was only as smart as the person using it. This was likely true until Watson came to town. Watson is a supercomputer that is kicking ass and taking names in Jeopardy. The machine has been pitted against some of the biggest Jeopardy champs of all time — and it’s beating them all.
An IBM team of scientists spent four years building a computer system that can rival a human in answering questions posed in natural language. IBM hasn’t given much information as to what sits under Watson’s hood. It has let us know that the device is powered by an IBM Power 7 server.
“After four years, our scientific team believes that Watson is ready for this challenge based on its ability to rapidly comprehend what the Jeopardy clue is asking, analyze the information it has access to, come up with precise answers, and develop an accurate confidence in its response. Beyond our excitement for the match itself, our team is very motivated by the possibilities that Watson’s breakthrough computing capabilities hold for building a smarter planet and helping people in their business tasks and personal lives.”
Earlier today (at the time of this writing), the computer was pitted in a practice match against former titan champs Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter. The three categories were emptied at lightning speed with not a single incorrect answer. Watson led the round at the end with $4,400. Ken had $3,400 and Brad trailed with earnings of only $1,200.
How do you think the computer will fare against the champs in an actual full round of Jeopardy? How exciting is this to see, folks? The entire future as we know it could change drastically due to self-thinking computers.