Home
Others
Others News
IBM supercomputer 'Watson' to challenge 'Jeopardy' stars

IBM supercomputer 'Watson' to challenge 'Jeopardy' stars

By Brian Stelter, New York Times | Updated: 5 June 2012 02:22 IST

Highlights

An IBM supercomputer system named after the company’s founder, Thomas J Watson senior, is almost ready for a televised test: A bout of questioning on the quiz show "Jeopardy".

An IBM supercomputer system named after the company's founder, Thomas J Watson senior, is almost ready for a televised test: A bout of questioning on the quiz show "Jeopardy".

IBM and the producers of "Jeopardy" will announce on Tuesday that the computer, "Watson," will face the two most successful players in "Jeopardy" history, Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter, in three episodes that will be broadcast February 14-16, 2011.

For IBM, "Watson" is an important test of artificial intelligence. Scientists there have been talking to "Jeopardy" about a man vs. machine match-up for the better part of two years. "If the program beats the humans, the field of artificial intelligence will have made a leap forward," John Markoff of The New York Times wrote in April 2009.

In a news release, the companies said the format of "Jeopardy" was "the ultimate challenge" for "Watson" because "the game's clues involve analyzing subtle meaning, irony, riddles and other complexities in which humans excel and computers traditionally do not."

IBM and the show's producers have agreed that $1 million will be on the line. If "Watson" wins, all of the money will be donated to charity. If one of the humans wins, half of the money will be donated.

"Jeopardy" producers said the computer qualified for the show by passing the same test that human contestants must pass. Lately "Watson" has been playing games with former "Jeopardy" contestants for practice. IBM will share some of the highlights of those games on its Web site in the coming weeks.

For "Jeopardy," which has been on television for nearly 50 years, the supercomputer match-up is an opportunity to gain attention. It's an endorsement of sorts for the format -- as Harry Friedman, the show's executive producer, put it in a news release, "We're thrilled that Jeopardy is considered a benchmark of ultimate knowledge."

Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.

Further reading: IBM, Jeopardy, supercomputer

Web focus helps revitalise 'The Atlantic'

Men have an iPad problem

IBM supercomputer 'Watson' to challenge 'Jeopardy' stars

Related Stories