IBM's Watson supercomputer, named after founder Thomas J. Watson, was originally developed for the Jeopardy! game show and successfully competed against top human champions. It utilizes advanced question-answering technology and natural language processing, running on a powerful cluster of servers to provide immediate and efficient answers across various domains, including healthcare and finance. Despite its advantages, Watson faces limitations in understanding human interaction and cannot process certain types of medical scans.

1. 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
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
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
•February 2011: First computer to compete against humans in Jeopardy!
•Defeated shows greatest two champions Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter
Purpose of Watson
•Idea formed during IBM top executives brainstorming publicity stunts
•DeepBlue– 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”
Technology
•Question-answering Technology
•Deep understanding of natural language.
–Process and answer complex questions that have puns, irony, and/or riddles
•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
Managerial Purposes
•Financial Assistant: Working with Citi Bank
–Help analyze customer needs
–Process financial, economic, product, and client data

2. –Help financial professionals make better decision
•Could IBM Watson rival complex derivatives on the trade floor?
Other Possibilities?
•Travel
•Retail
•Healthcare
Classroom
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
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
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
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
Solution

3. 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
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
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
•February 2011: First computer to compete against humans in Jeopardy!
•Defeated shows greatest two champions Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter
Purpose of Watson
•Idea formed during IBM top executives brainstorming publicity stunts
•DeepBlue– 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”
Technology
•Question-answering Technology
•Deep understanding of natural language.
–Process and answer complex questions that have puns, irony, and/or riddles
•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
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

4. •Could IBM Watson rival complex derivatives on the trade floor?
Other Possibilities?
•Travel
•Retail
•Healthcare
Classroom
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
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
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
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