Deep Blue has begat Watson, a computer that is able to “understand” questions in Jeopardy! and provide answers in the form of a question (go here for an in-depth NYTimes feature on Watson). Watson’s almost ready for primetime, but before he takes the spotlight, IBM pitted him in a practice round against Ken Jennings and Brad Ruttner. The results:
Watson, which IBM claims as a profound advance in artificial intelligence, edged out game-show champions Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter on Thursday in its first public test, a short practice round ahead of a million-dollar tournament that will be televised next month.
Can Judgment Day be far behind?