I'll Take "Breakthroughs In Artificial Intelligence" For $100

The answer will be announced Monday:

I.B.M. plans to announce Monday that it is in the final stages of completing a computer program to compete against human “Jeopardy!” contestants. If the program beats the humans, the field of artificial intelligence will have made a leap forward.

I.B.M. scientists previously devised a chess-playing program to run on a supercomputer called Deep Blue. That program beat the world champion Garry Kasparov in a controversial 1997 match (Mr. Kasparov called the match unfair and secured a draw in a later one against another version of the program).

But chess is a game of limits, with pieces that have clearly defined powers. “Jeopardy!” requires a program with the suppleness to weigh an almost infinite range of relationships and to make subtle comparisons and interpretations. The software must interact with humans on their own terms, and fast.

Indeed, the creators of the system — which the company refers to as Watson, after the I.B.M. founder, Thomas J. Watson Sr. — said they were not yet confident their system would be able to compete successfully on the show, on which human champions typically provide correct responses 85 percent of the time.

I applaud whatever confidence they have, because this seems like quite a mountain to climb:

The way to deal with such problems, Dr. Ferrucci said, is to improve the program’s ability to understand the way “Jeopardy!” clues are offered. The complexity of the challenge is underscored by the subtlety involved in capturing the exact meaning of a spoken sentence. For example, the sentence “I never said she stole my money” can have seven different meanings depending on which word is stressed.

I would guess the Jeopardy writers could deliver a show that would leave the machine at sea.  Metaphorically.

MORE:  Send Ken Jennings?  Send Betsy Newmark!

["end of humanity as we currently understand it" for $500]

Comments

[clarice]

Natural...artificial...I hardly care. At this point any sign of intelligence would be a welcome one.

[matt]

"what is, artificial intelligence, Alex?"

Hal, that's right for $100!!!!

"money has no meaning to me, Alex, just keep me plugged in and no one gets hurt"

[T J Sawyer]

Computer Science has been "on the verge of a breakthrough" in artificial intelligence ever since I considered it as a possible graduate school major in 1967.

[daddy]

LOL Clarice.

[cahmd]

I wonder how the program would do with: "I did not have sexual relations with that woman."

[Kevin B]

Watson will never make it to the show.

I have it on good authority that Sarah Connor reads this blog.

[jimmyk]

cahmd: Can a computer laugh?