What happens when machines learn to solve problems better than people can? Great things, according to presenters at the IBM Tech Trek.
Presenters called cognitive computing the “third wave” of software development.
Much of the presentation focused on Watson, the well-known computer that won on Jeopardy. Watson was trend-setting in many ways, including open-source resources in its development. Presenters said this shows “the power of sharing” in developing cognitive computing. As the technology advanced, “we are going to do this together.”
But Watson has been up to a lot more than fun and games.
After meeting the Jeopardy challenge, developers set the machine to work on new problems like training medical students and creating new recipes.
Cognitive computing is not really about man vs. machine, presenters said. “It’s the combination of the two that the magic comes from."
Tech Trek is an annual ICPC feature where contest sponsor IBM presents some of the newest ideas in technology from IBM research.
Amanda Sturgill and Andrea Pereira de Almeida for ICPCNews