Elementary, My Dear Watson!

Did anyone watch Jeopardy this week?  IBM's Watson supercomputer gave Jeopardy players a real run for their money this week, and ultimately overpowered the top human champions that had previously appeared on the show.  Watson succeeded with only using 80% of the processing power of the human brain.  That means Watson still had a lot more information that it could have handled and processed.

It is amazing how the incorporation of technology on the long running show, helped Jeopardy to capture the highest ratings the show has had in six years.  Viewers tuned in to the end just to see the battle between "man vs. the machine". 

In addition, it was also a commercial for IBM, helping the technological giant reinvent itself.  This launched a partnership between IBM and several entities to explore a collaboration that will help advance capabilities in the healthcare industry.  In addition, IBM is also in discussion with a major consumer electronics retailer to use this type of technology to interact with consumers to help them with buying decisions and technical support.

This just goes to show how technology plays a critical role in society with shaping the growth of businesses, new innovations, and helping with marketing.  From a sheer educational perspective, informal learning is one of the the most widely used and powerful ways that individuals learn.  This is day to day learning that takes place outside of the classroom, and in our homes.  What a great draw to learn something new!


If you are intersted in what is behind the building of Watson, click on the below link...