IBM’s Watson is the new supercomputer that has the power to collect information, answer questions in daily conversations, and facilitate the understanding of data for businesses.
Many might remember Watson’s debut on Jeopardy when it destroyed the human competition with correct answer after correct answer, 74 games in a row. What’s incredible is that a computer of that size has the ability to translate everyday speech by picking out keywords and delivering the correct answer.
This intelligent computer can do far more than excel at game shows, however, and IBM is now using it to make data analyzation and utilization easier for small businesses and startups.
Obtaining artificial intelligence has always been a far away dream for businesses without unlimited capital, a problem that IBM finally noticed.
They’ve announced the production of Watson to give smaller businesses and startups access to decoded artificial intelligence as an extension of their data centers. They’ll sell the supercomputer to smaller companies for use in stores and business best practices.
Watson’s Tech
There are a few key elements of Watson’s technology that make big data interpretation available to all companies through collecting unstructured data, organizing, and translating it into contextualized information that firms can actually use. These key features include:
- Hypothesis Generation: Watson is able to consistently answer questions correctly by running tests on various hypotheses in order to narrow the answer down to accurate and reliable results.
- Language Processing: The computer can cypher through both literal language and figurative language, allowing it to understand everyday speech. That way, when someone uses a metaphor such as “rollercoaster of emotions,” Watson will know what they mean.
- Evaluation: By analyzing the data, it can bring up relevant information in a way that the everyday human will be able to understand. This makes it possible for smaller companies without artificial intelligence sectors to utilize the wealth of data that applies to their industry.
- Dynamic Learning: Most impressively, Watson has the power to continually develop its knowledge. It will learn from interactions with humans, getting smarter and more useful as time goes on.
Watson isn’t flawless, but it’s an exciting step in the right direction for affordable data tech. What’s more, Watson will learn from its own missteps, self-correcting until it’s on the right path again. It’s the closest thing in artificial intelligence to super-human intelligence that we’ve seen thus far.
Companies Are Utilizing Watson Already
Watson has already been provided to several smaller companies, giving them the edge over the competition they need. Cognitoys, for example, has utilized Watson as a tool in one of their toys, a dinosaur that will answer any age-appropriate question a child asks. A wine company called VineSleuth currently uses Watson in their retail setting as a tool for helping wine lovers choose the perfect beverage to go with dinner.
Wayblazer is another small businesses that applies Watson to the travel industry. Watson’s technology is used in an app that gives personalized recommendations for travelers to help them find places to eat, sight-see, sleep, and secure transportation.
The uses of Watson in both small and large business settings are endless. It’s not a cheap expense, but it’s one that has the potential to bring back triple the returns if utilized properly.
Big data is a continuously growing field – one that must be harnessed for businesses to stay competitive.
Now, thanks to this incredible supercomputer, even small businesses can accomplish big tasks.
