IBM's Watson is a question answering computer system developed by IBM to answer questions posed in natural language. It was named after IBM's founder Thomas J. Watson and was initially created to compete on the game show Jeopardy! where it defeated human champions in 2011. Watson uses advanced natural language processing, semantic analysis, and machine learning to defeat human opponents. It is capable of answering complex questions with nuanced language and is being developed by IBM for commercial applications in fields like healthcare, finance and education.

1. IBM’s Watson
Holland Davey, Jana Babouder-Matta,
Chris Honeycutt, David Burr

2. Introduction
• Super Computer developed by IBM Research
• Named for IMB’s founder: Thomas J. Watson
• Initially created for Jeopardy! Game Show
• Dr. David Ferrucci leads the Watson project

3. Development
• Search engines deliver thousands of results that
match keywords
• University’s have worked on a consistent question
answering software for years
• Programmed by 25 IBM scientists
• Not connected to the internet

4. Jeopardy! Challenge
• Set out to answer complex Jeopardy!
Questions
• Language is hard for computers because of
“intended meaning”
• During trials, it won 70% of practice games

5. Jeopardy! Challenge
• February 2011: First computer to compete against humans
in Jeopardy!
• Defeated shows greatest two champions Ken Jennings and
Brad Rutter

6. Could YOU beat Watson?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpKoIfTu
krA&feature=related

7. Purpose of Watson
• Idea formed during IBM top executives
brainstorming publicity stunts
• Deep Blue– chess supercomputer defeated Garry
Kasparov
• IBM’s previous most advanced machine was slow
and inaccurate
• Overall goal: “to create a new generation of
technology that can find answers from data more
effectively than current search engines”

8. Technology
• Question-answering Technology
• Deep understanding of natural language.
– Process and answer complex questions
that have puns, irony, and/or riddles

10. Technology
• Computer running Software called Deep QA
• Runs on cluster of Power 750 computers
– ten racks holding 90 servers, for a total of 2880
processor cores running DeepQA software and
storage
– Holds approximately one million books worth of
information

11. How does Watson answer a question?

12. The Process
Step 1:
Question Analysis

13. The Process
Step 2:
Hypothesis Generation

14. The Process
Step 3:
Hypothesis and Evidence
Scoring

15. The Process
Step 4:
Final Merging and Ranking

16. This process takes a total of

17. A little more in-depth

18. Watson’s Future
• Commercial Product
http://www-
03.ibm.com/innovation/us/watson/what-is-
watson/watson-after-jeopardy.html

19. Words from John Kelly, Director of IBM Research:
“I want to create something that I can
take into every other retail industry, in
the transportation industry, you name
it.”
“Any place where time is critical and you need to
get advanced state-of-the-art information to the
front decision-makers. Computers need to go
from just being back-office calculating machines
to improving the intelligence of people making
decisions.”

20. Beyond Jeopardy
• Medical Assistant: Memorial Sloan Kettering
Cancer Center Partnership (March 2012)
– Clinicians will “teach” Watson to review
oncological case histories and come up with
best diagnosis and treatment

22. Managerial Purposes
• Financial Assistant: Working with Citi Bank
– Help analyze customer needs
– Process financial, economic, product, and client
data
– Help financial professionals make better decision
• Could IBM Watson rival complex derivatives on the
trade floor?

23. Other Possibilities?
• Travel
• Retail
• Healthcare
• Classroom

24. Advantages
• Provides Services that revolve around the
new, digital world
• Gives immediate answers instead of
search results
• Healthcare uses
– Diagnosis
– Information Warehouse
• Efficiency and Organization

25. Disadvantages
• Cannot read PET and CT scans to identify tumors
• Questions asked must be in text
• Less human effort
– Too reliant upon technology
– Less personal interaction between doctors and
patients
• Not cognitive
– Only manipulates symbols
• Limits understanding and reasoning behind decisions

26. Competition
• Thus far there are no other computers that are near the
performance level of Watson
• Microsoft and GE announced plans to create something
similar to use in the healthcare industry
– Aim to use analytics, high performance software
technologies to deliver patient outcomes and clinical
applications

27. Applications to SIT
• New technology for a business’ Decision Making
Processes
– Organizational structure may shift based on
allocation of decision making
• Potentially eliminates the needs/advantages of
Virtual Teams (especially in healthcare)
• Changes Knowledge Management Processes

28. Discussion Question #1
• What do you think about the future of
this product, and the potential to have a
super computer with voice recognition
software? Could this lead to an
iRobot/personal assistant?

29. Discussion Question #2
• Could this eliminate the use for the
education system all together?

30. Discussion Question #3
• If you were a manager at a business, would you
trust using Watson with decision making, or do you
feel human decision making still is a more reliable
source?