FROM CBC NEWS

The clue: It's the size of 10 refrigerators, has access to the equivalent of 200-million pages of information and knows how to answer in the form of a question.

The correct response: "What is the computer IBM developed to become a Jeopardy! whiz?"

Watson, which IBM claims as a profound advance in artificial intelligence, edged out game-show champions Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter on Thursday in its first public test, a short practice round ahead of a million-dollar tournament that will be televised next month.

Later, the human contestants made jokes about the Terminator movies and robots from the future. Indeed, four questions into the round you had to wonder if the rise of the machines was already upon us — in a trivial sense at least.

Watson tore through a category about female archeologists, repeatedly activating a mechanical button before either Ken Jennings or Brad Rutter could buzz in, then nailing the questions: "What is Jericho?" "What is Crete?"



Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2011/01/14/computer-jeopardy.html#ixzz1B35R2vkd