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IBM COMPUTER WINS PRACTICE JEOPARDY ROUND

gregg75

gregg75

IBM has created this computer the size of 10 refrigerators named Watson. It will compete
against the all time winner Ken Jennings and smarty pants Brad Rutter for three games
to be broadcast Feb. 14-16. Both men won almost $3.3 million together.

Watson knows to answer in the form of a question. He activates a mechanical buzzer before
answering. A practice round was held Thursday and he won. Watson finished with $4,400,
Jennings had $3,400 and Rutter $1,200.

Watson is not hooked up to the internet, but does have 10 racks of IBM servers and has
digested encyclopedias, dictionaries, books, movie scripts, news, magazines, etc. He is not
named after the telephone Watson but for IBM founder Thomas J. Watson.

The Jeopardy winner gets $1 million, 2nd place $300,000 and 3rd place $200,000.
 
gregg75 said:
The Jeopardy winner gets $1 million, 2nd place $300,000 and 3rd place $200,000.
Click to expand...

What if Watson wins? Personally, as IBM is a "rich celebrity", the million would go to charity.
 
My question is, did Watson get any questions wrong in this practice round?

Okay, I lied - two questions... Source? ::)
 
Yikes. This sounds like a really bad SNL sketch mocking a Jeopardy deep in the future somewhere...
 
The news is out there in several places (Google is your friend). And it is practice, so we'll see how it plays out in the "real" match...but this is an itneresting indication. IBM has said the money would go to charity. In addition, Rutter and Jennings are donating half of their respective takes to charity.
 
Sounds like it will be interesting to watch. The only advantage I see for the humans is
that they might be able to read the question before Watson "hears" it and beat him to the
buzzer. Seems like Watson would need the entire question.
 
It'll be interesting to see how it's done on the actual set as well. But that's just design--clearly the computer is going to be a formidable competitor when the game that counts takes place. Ken and Brad can read ahead and start processing the info ahead of Watson, but if its "brain" moves faster than ours, it could negate that advantage. I just find it interesting the computer does that well understanding the typical Jeopardy clues that use linguistic tricks in some cases. Cool stuff.
 
gregg75 said:
AP has put a 3 minute clip on YouTube. Looks like Watson is not standing behind the podium
but on a TV monitor instead.
Click to expand...

That's because Watson lives in an IBM lab and not on the Jeopardy set in Culver City.
 
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