IBM IBM +0.41% is fond of Watson and speaks about its computer system as if it were a real person. The machine itself (it lives in Astor Place, NY and in San Francisco too) is built to mirror the same cognitive learning process that we humans have i.e. it makes decisions in the following sequence: observe, interpret, evaluate and then decide. IBM claims that the computer is able to understand the meaning and intent .
One of the core concepts driving Watson is its ability to interpret questions spoken in natural language. The firm’s latest developments inside the big blue glass cabinet see Watson and the IBM-branded Watson Developer Cloud service gain additional intelligence in the form of advanced language understanding as well as speech and vision services.
This is a computer that is capable of extracting meaning from unstructured text, video, photos and speech. IBM has subsequently constructed cognitive APIs (software connection points) and tools for software application developers to code Watson intelligence into new applications.
There are also speech-to-text and text-to-speech capabilities here. Watson speaks multiple languages including Japanese, Mandarin, Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese, with additional languages being continually introduced.
Source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/adrianbridgwater/2015/09/28/ibm-watson-builds-smarter-artificial-intelligence-language-vision-and-speech/2/
This was a very interesting post! IBM’s Watson is truly an amazing invention. From an IST standpoint, Watson can relate to a multitude of different topics. However, one very relevant topic is that of big data. As the Internet of Things grows and grows, countless amounts of data are being sent out into cyberspace without ever being analyzed. According to Bob Picciano (the senior vice president of IBM Analytics) the amount of data being transmitted exceeds companies’ abilities to analyze it so much that “about 90 percent of that data is never captured.” This means big losses for companies whose businesses thrive on customer and consumer data statistics.
Watson, however, could be the solution to this problem. Because of Watson’s “cloud-based cognitive abilities,” it can not only analyze data, but also learn from it. Watson—designed to think rather than compute— can actually find patterns in data and adjust its processes to become more efficient the more it runs an analysis. This means that Watson would be able to detect patterns in data outside the scope of a normal business unit, drastically maximizing company effectiveness and productivity and forever changing the world of business.
In today’s day and age when almost everything from your car to your toaster has the ability to connect to the Internet, the field of big data analysis has become a key area of interest for businesses. It is clear, therefore, that Watson will without a doubt have incredible impacts on IBM and maybe eventually the globe. As Mike Rhodin (senior vice president of IBM Watson) states in the article below, Watson may just be the start of an “information revolution.” I for one cannot wait to see what’s next.
Source:
http://www.v3.co.uk/v3-uk/analysis/2432100/ibms-watson-spearheading-a-big-data-analytics-information-revolution
IBM Watson is an incredible technology. IBM unveiled Watson on Jeopardy over 5 years ago, and it dazzled, but for a while, all it was was a shiny toy. Watson could do incredible things. People within IBM knew it, anyone who watched that Jeopardy episode knew it, but it seemed like IBM didn’t know exactly what to do with it’s power. Now they are starting to figure out exactly how it can help their business and world as a whole. They are unveiling their new business unit, Cognitive Business Solutions, which will provide companies with business analytics and solutions directly from Watson’s computing. In addition to this, Watson is being used to help find cures for diseases. I’m excited to see what Watson can do to help our world in the future.