IBM’s famous supercomputer, Watson, (that once beat Jeopardy!) could become a cloud-based consultation service for a wide range of issues. John Gordon, Watson Solutions Marketing Manager at IBM, says Watson is set to be an advisor to all types of professional decision-makers, from healthcare to finance and beyond.
The 16,000GB RAM computer is riddled with software that allows it to decipher and interpret natural-learning questions asked of it. IBM used the popular T.V. game, Jeopardy!, to test Watson’s abilities with double meanings of words, puns, rhymes, and inferred hints, as well its ability to process vast amounts of information in order to make complex and subtle logical connections. Watson was able to pass this test with flying colours; in 2011, it beat the reigning Jeopardy! champions to take “home” to two charities US$1 million.
The power and processing capability of this supercomputer allows Watson to be an invaluable tool for organisations. In the healthcare industry, Watson will be able to sift through, and interpret, hundreds of research papers in order to answer questions and queries.
As seen on New Scientist, John Gordon commented on this development, “…we are now looking at ways of delivering Watson as a service to make sure that it is something that is very accessible and which doesn’t require a significant level of technology investment by the user.
“We hope to expand Watson’s scope by delivering it as a cloud-based service. We have a number of other application areas under consideration.”
In the future, Watson is set to become a huge player for businesses and organisations, all from the comfort of the cloud.