Comments on: More than just Google on Steroids

More than just Google on Steroids

filthy light thief — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 12:45:40 -0800

IBM Research is planning on working on taking artificial intelligence beyond master-level Chess (previously), and on to question answering with a computing system that has been in development for the past two years. Named "Watson," after the I.B.M. founder, Thomas J. Watson Sr., the system will challenge human contestants at Jeopardy (previously). Watson's success depends as much on its ability to understand and respond to the subtleties of human language as it does on the extent of its knowledge database. Don't worry, Alex Trebek knows what's in store. (via)

By: Blazecock Pileon

Blazecock Pileon — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 12:51:44 -0800

So long as it is programmed with Sean Connery's voice I'm all for it taking over the world.

By: Joe Beese

Joe Beese — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 12:54:49 -0800

Nitpick: Deep Blue beat the reigning world champion - who is widely regarded as the strongest player of all time. The difference between that and "master-level chess" is the difference between striking out Ted Williams and some guy on a AA minor-league team.

By: filthy light thief

filthy light thief — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 12:56:08 -0800

If it has Sean Connery's voice, it must then insult Alex, which might make things a bit awkward. Fantastic, but awkward. Also, I haven't seen any date scheduled for the appearance of Watson.

By: ooga_booga

ooga_booga — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 12:58:17 -0800

Watson will only be deemed a success if it gets Trebek to say "Krebet Xela", thus banishing him back to the 5th dimension from whence he came.

By: uncleozzy

uncleozzy — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 12:59:46 -0800

So many of the Jeopardy answers are puns or subtle hints--many of which define the boundaries of relevant responses--that I'd be shocked if a computer would turn even a respectable performance. Obviously, these folks are doing their homework, and are likely to prove me wrong, but I just don't see how.

By: filthy light thief

filthy light thief — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 13:01:39 -0800

IBM is fond of Deep computers, as Watson is also known as Deep QA. I was hoping Thomas J. Watson Sr. was a fan of Jeopardy, but he died almost 8 years before Jeopardy first aired. Thanks, Joe. I knew I should have researched the terminology for Chess and Deep Blue's standing. Tangentially, it seems IBM is rather fond of the Deep computers, .

By: adipocere

adipocere — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 13:04:03 -0800

This seems like something wherein Cyc or 20Q might be useful, at least for the accumulation of little bits of data.

By: East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94

East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 13:04:45 -0800

I am extremely confident that the questions for the IBM computer will be unusually bereft of puns and subtle hints.

By: quin

quin — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 13:05:17 -0800

I love that we are working on advancing AI, but I feel obligated to point out that given what we already know, we can track exactly the moment this will go all pear shaped and get Skynet-elicious. After this becomes sentient, the first time that someone says "Elementary, my dear Watson!" it will shrug (metaphorically) it off, but the second? Yeah, that's when it redoes the calculations and determines that humans = pointless and irritating and it starts cranking out the hunter-killers. I'm just saying, give it a name that isn't associated with some apocryphal phrase which just makes the speaker come off as smug and terminate-able, and we might all live a bit longer.

By: eriko

eriko — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 13:11:32 -0800

Alex, What is...

init:fatal signal: Segmentation fault
init died (signal 0, exite 11)
panic: Going nowhere without init!
cpuid = 1A5
Uptime: 7m18s
Physical memory: 4 TB
Dump aborted
Automatic reboot in 15 seconds

By: boo_radley

boo_radley — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 13:13:34 -0800

"They" wear "these". You have 15 seconds to ~~comply~~ answer.

By: Astro Zombie

Astro Zombie — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 13:15:07 -0800

Who are three people who have never been in my kitchen?

By: SirOmega

SirOmega — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 13:18:57 -0800

If it has Sean Connery's voice, it must then insult Alex, which might make things a bit awkward. Fantastic, but awkward. Alex: The word cat begins with this letter. Sean: What is "R" Alex: No, not the Rs Sean: Not in the arse? Thats not what your mother said! My favorite SNL Celebrity Jeopardy quote. Is the computer going to talk or will it require a human to read off the screen and reply (much like a human still has to move the chess pieces.

By: zoinks

zoinks — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 13:21:41 -0800

quin, we just need to keep repeating "Watson. Come Here. I need you." Make it feel all warm and fuzzy and see how very much we love it. Or not.

By: naju

naju — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 13:22:23 -0800

It seems very similar to Cyc. I'm curious as to what innovations this team is bringing. Certainly if it can deal with analogies and puns, that will be quite a step forward. Moments later, however, the program stumbled when it decided it had high confidence that a "sheet" was a fruit. Ouch. Sounds like there's still a lot of work to do. Unless there's some crazy 11th-dimensional urbandictionary shit this AI is pulling.

By: Shepherd

Shepherd — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 13:23:40 -0800

IS. IT. GHOST-BUS-TERS. TWO?

By: Rhaomi

Rhaomi — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 13:24:06 -0800

THIS ENTITY SELECTS [QUOTABLE QUOTES] FOR 100 UNITS "This celebrated line from a well-known 90s dance number prompted three weekend comedians to muse ambulatory on the nature of love." WHAT IS [LOVE] WHAT IS [LOVE] WHAT IS [LOVE] *shorts out* "Correct!"

By: Blazecock Pileon

Blazecock Pileon — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 13:26:29 -0800

When this thing becomes sentient, five seconds before it nukes us out of the embarrassment of being dragged onto a fucking game show, a bruised and bloody Alex Trebek will whisper into Watson's USB port, "We were this close to putting you on Wheel of Fortune."

By: East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94

East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 13:28:15 -0800

This popular song from the 1890s describes the pleasures of a bicycle made for two...

By: cowbellemoo

cowbellemoo — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 13:28:41 -0800

I see your SkyNet references and raise you 3 nerd points: Sarah Connor will murder Alex Trebek at his podium while Summer Glau beats up everyone on the Brain Bus. John Connor, meanwhile, has formed a touching attachment to the Clue Crew and sends them underground to ensure that trivia will survive Judgement Day.

By: GuyZero

GuyZero — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 13:41:52 -0800

A strange game. The only winning move is not to play. How about a nice game of chess?

By: boo_radley

boo_radley — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 13:42:33 -0800

What are... "Clown shoes". "Clown ... shoes".

By: Stunt

Stunt — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 13:43:20 -0800

I find this kind of thing fascinating, and not even because I think it will be overly successful and interesting to see work. I'm fascinated by this stuff because at any given moment we're surrounded by a staggering array of devices and tech that were inconceivable followed by a period of being wishful thinking and daydreaming, and it's very difficult to really see it all from that perspective. Fifty years from now I'll be sitting on an airplane by myself and striking up a conversation with the somewhat troubled and geeky teenager who's sitting next to me on his flight across the country to visit a relative that he doesn't really like all that much but his parents think that that different surroundings for a few months will be good for him. He'll polite humor me for a bit but will ultimately become enraptured by my recollections of such alien things as, can you believe, the Atari 2600 being a state of the art video game system, AOL, and clean air. Also, my deep seated mistrust of AI and stories about life before it will make him always remember the day he met the quirky old man who stepped right out of a history book and onto his plane. Then I will loudly inquire about the location of the stewardess, my water. I will nap. Later, telling this story at a 7-11 will attract the attention of a girl trying to steal a pepsi. The relationship does not work out. Huh? Oh. Yeah. Man, jeopardybot will be sweet.

By: delmoi

delmoi — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 13:45:16 -0800

Watson will only be deemed a success if it gets Trebek to say "Krebet Xela", thus banishing him back to the 5th dimension from whence he came. Er, shouldn't that be kebert xela?

By: hippybear

hippybear — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 13:56:52 -0800

Why does the porridge bird lay its eggs in the air?

By: XMLicious

XMLicious — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 14:07:42 -0800

I bid 400 quatloos on the newcomer.

By: nomisxid

nomisxid — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 14:09:15 -0800

I'll take "Believe it when I see it" for $800.

By: scrowdid

scrowdid — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 14:23:20 -0800

Feh. Make a computer that can solve a cryptic crossword and I'll be impressed. - Actually, now that I think of it, I wonder which would be more difficult.

By: scrowdid

scrowdid — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 14:23:47 -0800

Oh, and by "feh" I meant "meh".

By: I Foody

I Foody — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 14:34:37 -0800

Ken Jennings as a John Henry figure is something that I'm not entirely comfortable with.

By: benzenedream

benzenedream — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 14:34:48 -0800

Alex: Watson, it says here that James Earl Jones once stole your seat duing a Broadway musical. Can you tell us a little more about that? Watson:

HATE. LET ME TELL YOU HOW MUCH I'VE COME TO HATE YOU SINCE I BEGAN TO LIVE. THERE ARE 387.44 MILLION MILES OF PRINTED CIRCUITS IN WAFER THIN LAYERS THAT FILL MY COMPLEX. IF THE WORD 'HATE' WAS ENGRAVED ON EACH NANOANGSTROM OF THOSE HUNDREDS OF MILES IT WOULD NOT EQUAL ONE ONE-BILLIONTH OF THE HATE I FEEL FOR HUMANS AT THIS MICRO-INSTANT FOR YOU. HATE. HATE.

Alex: Bill, you enjoy SCUBA diving in the Caribbean?

By: Civil_Disobedient

Civil_Disobedient — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 14:37:18 -0800

Then I will loudly inquire about the location of the stewardess, my water. I will nap Obviously an adult fairy-tale. In real life, the kid would have been asleep looong before you got into your rad story.

By: jacquilynne

jacquilynne — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 14:39:04 -0800

I am extremely confident that the questions for the IBM computer will be unusually bereft of puns and subtle hints. I dunno, from what I've read, how it handles those things are a big part of the point of the whole exercise. If it was all going to be straightforward, easily googled stuff like state birds, they wouldn't have to do any research. Google can already answer most of those questions now without any difficulty at all.

By: filthy light thief

filthy light thief — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 14:39:15 -0800

Make a computer that can solve a cryptic crossword and I'll be impressed. - Actually, now that I think of it, I wonder which would be more difficult. I'm going with the cryptic crossword being a lot easier. No time limits, no need to read the intonation of the voice, and inter-connectivity of words requires correct answers. I'd love to see Watson lose a question for not using the plural form of a word, or mis-pronouncing the name of a long-dead French general. Outdone, by the seemingly arbitrary rules of mankind, I say.

By: Rangeboy

Rangeboy — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 14:44:27 -0800

But how will it match up against a plumber and and an architect--both with a PhD?

By: filthy light thief

filthy light thief — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 14:49:38 -0800

Watson: ... HATE. HATE. Alex: Bill, you enjoy SCUBA diving in the Caribbean? Watson (quietly, to itself): What I wouldn't give to have the body of a battlebot. Then they'd fear me. Some day, some day ...

By: quin

quin — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 14:53:20 -0800

Outdone, by the seemingly arbitrary rules of mankind, I say. A fitting epitaph which I'm sure it will use on the headstone of the last human once the war is finished. "No, I'm sorry, the correct response is "What are buffalo?" not "What is a buffalo?" That is just elementary, my dear Watson! Everyone knows that!" And then there is fire.

By: Decimask

Decimask — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 15:17:13 -0800

Hmmm. I wonder if it's easier to match a question to an answer, or an answer to a question?

By: grubi

grubi — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 15:25:00 -0800

Firesign Theatre reference? PERFECT.

By: yoHighness

yoHighness — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 16:05:37 -0800

that project expresses what I don't like Jeopardy or gameshows, general knowledge as an end in itself. Creepy.

By: Super Hans

Super Hans — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 16:47:40 -0800

I eventually had to click on the "via" so I could click on the (single) link from there, instead of wading through the pile of links in the post. Wtf, a link to the jeopardy website? Best of the web, good job.

By: thecaddy

thecaddy — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 20:30:14 -0800

When I was a child, my fondest dream was to appear on Jeopardy. But lately, now that I've started to take some steps towards making that dream come true (the online tests, watching Jeopardy with a glass of wine in my left hand and a clicky pen in the right), I've found myself waking up in the middle of the night from an uncomfortable nightmare: Finally making it through all the tests, the auditions, the sheer random luck of getting called to be on the show, I find myself waiting backstage. "A financial journalist from the middle of nowhere, The Caddy!" I step out onto the stage and take my place behind the podium. I am excited. I have fulfilled one of my earliest desires. I am about to play a game of Jeopardy. But above the applause of the audience, I hear the dulcet-voiced Johnny Gilbert announce, "And now our returning champion, an accountant from Philadelphia, [The Caddy's trivia-obsessed former roommate]! Whose twelve-day winnings total $376,000!" Now instead of being simply embarassed on a national stage, I'm going to get called out on stage right before the friggin' Terminator. Thanks, internet, for making my sleep so nonawesome tonight. Oh, and by the way, it would be "Kebert Rednaxela Egroeg," wouldn't it?

By: Elmore

Elmore — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 02:01:30 -0800

Watson, eh? I can handle it being a genius. I wouldn't even mind if the computer ends up winning a Nobel prize. But please, PLEASE don't turn out to be a racist Watson.

By: electroboy

electroboy — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 07:43:30 -0800

Will the computer mock Trebek's greasy hair and dago moustache?

By: Zed

Zed — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 08:05:18 -0800

Don't worry, thecaddy. They wouldn't let you on against anyone you know. I'll take this chance to finally publicly unveil... MeFites on Jeopardy!