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Thursday, February 17, 2011

Watson

"Computer Wins on 'Jeopardy!' Trivial, It's Not"- While Watson's victory showed the vast capabilities of computers, I could not help but notice what is stated as a mere footnote to your article: Watson won not so much by the strength of its mental acuity, but by the quickness of its "fingers".

It became very clear that human reaction was slower than Watson's. The computer demonstrated that it was master of the buzzer. When it was virtually certain of the correct response, Watson moved with cat-like quickness. When on unsure footing, the computer merely slowed to "sub-human" response time.

Watson, in the end, proved as much a wizard at playing the odds as in demonstrating the capacity of complex thought. Man, it turns out, is no match for a computer that knows how and when to gamble.

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