It's the computer that conquered humans.
Well, at least on "Jeopardy!" IBM's Watson supercomputer destroyed puny mortals, including all-time leading money winner Ken Jennings on "Jeopardy!" back in 2011. (Via The Huffington Post)
"Bram Stoker is what we're looking for, and we find, 'Who is Stoker? (I, for one, welcome our new computer overlords).'" (Via Sony Pictures Television)
Now the company behind the supercomputer is looking to cash in on the technology — investing $1 billion into a new business division centered around Watson. (Via Forbes)
That 10-digit sum will reportedly go toward a new headquarters in New York's East Village and improving its cognitive computing software to be more like humans. $100 million of that investment will go toward boosting innovation around Watson-related apps. (Via IBM)
According to the BBC, the company has recently seen an increasing demand for intuitive computing like what we see with Watson. Vice President of Watson Business Stephen Gold said, "We have reached the inflection point where the interest is overwhelming and we recognised we need to move faster."
And as Fast Company reports, IBM might be positioning itself as a sort of "Siri Slayer," or at least a slightly more sophisticated version.
"IBM wants to transform Watson into a Siri for business. The platform is designed for users to ask Watson questions, with Watson giving answers — such as medical diagnoses for hard-to-diagnose diseases, or the likely outcome of business decisions — on the spot." (Via Fast Company)
If you're unfamiliar with Watson, here's a quick refresher:
"Watson is a computer that uncovers meaning in our language and pinpoints the right answer instantly. It uses deep analytics to answer questions computers never could before. Even the ones on 'Jeopardy!'" (Via IBM)
But it's done more than just outsmart humans in recent years.
Like learning how to diagnose cancer. (Via Wired)
And landing a job on Wall Street analyzing financial data for Citigroup. (Via Bloomberg)
As The New York Times reports, the new IBM division will be called the Watson Business Group. It will employee some 2,500 workers.
