Ibm’s Watson Wins Jeopardy! Again

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In day two of the three day televised match on Jeopardy! between IBM’s Watson supercomputer and past Jeopardy! winners, Watson has surpassed the goal of IBM. Watson was developed by a slew of researchers and programmers. The human contestants, Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter, have been the game show’s biggest and most famous winners. These two took on the challenge of competing against a machine that has been developed by advanced technological minds. The artificial intelligence program created by IBM is designed to answer questions quickly based on compiled information in its database.

The clichéd Man vs. Machine competition has lived up to the expectation of many. Watson not only provides correct answers but also emits human like phrases that are not surprisingly amusing. Watson has dominated, or should I say destroyed, the competition on both nights. I’m pretty sure that day three will be no different. Although already taped, the winner of night three has not been revealed.

It has been the hope of IBM executives and researches that Watson, named ...
... after IBM founder Thomas J. Watson, perform exceptionally well to bring more attention to artificial intelligence. The partnership between Jeopardy! and IBM has highlighted the advancement of artificial intelligence technology and has displayed this knowledge in the American home and beyond.

I never expected Watson to perform at any other level. It is inconceivable to me that a machine that is programmed with every available ounce of information cannot come up with the correct answer nine times out of ten. The probability of Watsons’ chance of winning is solely based on the depth of knowledge collected in the database. IBM is no fool. They would never create such a media stir if they didn’t believe that Watson would win. Losing would have been a complete embarrassment to a prominent and respected industry leader.

So where do we go from here? It is not enough anymore to have a machine that can spout information. Although what IBM accomplished should be lauded, I am not really excited or impressed enough to want a talking supercomputer in any part of my everyday life. Even a parrot can repeat information. The next level of artificial intelligence has to incorporate reasoning, not just regurgitation and statistical probability. A machine that can identify and address a unique problem and deliver a solution is what I would prefer to see on television for three nights in a row.

Last nights’ airing of Jeopardy! just seemed like déjà vu to me. I felt like I had been there and done that. Haven’t we seen this before? Researchers at IBM and others in this field of technology may have reached their zenith. Maybe artificial intelligence will never be able to display logic and analysis in the way that humans can. It is possible that no matter how hard you try, this challenge is beyond the scope of human capacity. It is only my hope that this goal is sought after with diligence and persistence.