WATSON: *deflates*
Click to viewFinal Jeopardy @ 7:40.
I spent this summer googling frantically for news about IBM's Watson and IT'S HERE NOW, IT'S FINALLY HERE. The IBM challenge basically is a smorgasboard of amazing things that I love to death: computers, Ken Jennings, trivia, science!porn, scientists being talking heads, overly long promotional material thinly disguised as human interest. Sadly the episodes are like, 50% IBM commercial and 50% game show, but Ken Jennings and Watson make everything amazing. Alex is taking Watson SO SERIOUSLY, and they all talk to Watson like it can actually hear them. And Ken makes these adorable faces at Watson ALL THE TIME.
I now desperately want to make 4komis of Watson-tan. This exchange during the first day was basically asking for it.
SCIENTIST: This trusted friend was the first non-dairy powdered creamer.
WATSON: What is milk? :D
SCIENTIST: NO. THAT WASN'T WRONG, THAT WAS REALLY WRONG, WATSON. >:(
WATSON: nyoro~n :<
The NYT article about Watson is here if you want to read about Watson's development. One of my favorite parts about it was the anecdote about how Watson fell into a weird "semantic rabbit hole" and kept saying that Tommy Lee Jones was the answer to all the questions. And if nothing else, the IBM Challenge has resurrected my huge overwhelming crush on Ken Jennings.
Q.
FROM TWITTER USER POPINDC
So, Ken, do you have a backup plan that just might involve slyly tripping on Watson's cord?
A.
KEN JENNINGS :
Alternately, you can just tell it a paradox like "This sentence is a lie!" and Watson will start to fume and freak out in confusion. This strategy brought to you by Captain Kirk, ca. 1967.
Q.
FIRST ROUND
I was suprised that you only got through the first round. I found too much of the first night devoted to IBM, like a long commercial. What is the format of the next two nights?
A.
KEN JENNINGS :
The contest is two games stretched out over three nights: another half game tomorrow, with the final game Wednesday. In addition to giving IBM a nice infomercial spot (if you buy a Watson 1.0 license for home use, you also get a Watson mouse pad and some steak knives!) the documentary spots help explain how the contest came together, why this truly represents an AI breakthrough, and so forth.
It reminds me of the "human interest" stuff that always clogs up Olympic footage. Revealed tonight: Watson hopes to win these games for its adorable little sister, who has leukemia!
Q.
IF YOU WON....
If you are the winner, would you be willing to sit with the Watson designers to improve the machine even further? If so, what would you suggest?
A.
KEN JENNINGS :
The Watson team told me two things after the match: that the idea for Watson was born after watching my 2004 streak on Jeopardy, and that they watched LOTS of tape of me while honing its skills. "There's a lot of you in Watson," one guy said. So I already feel like the Dr. Frankenstein here. If it goes amuck and kills humanity and stuff so sorry lolz my bad!
He's last place right now in the Jeopardy standings, but we'll care about Brad the day they model a supercomputer after him.