[ExI] Watson On Jeopardy

[Samantha Atkins]

On 02/16/2011 10:15 AM, spike wrote:
>> ... On Behalf Of Richard Loosemore
>> ...(the comments of the Watson team certainly imply that this is a major
> milestone in AI...
>
> Well sure, they have been working on this for years, now it come out taking
> on humans and whooping ass.  I can scarcely fault them for a bit of
> immodesty.
>
>> ... and the press are practically announcing this as the second coming).
> Ja, and of course the press needs to whip up excitement, otherwise their
> products don't sell and they no longer have a job.  Now, who would hire a
> former journalist?  We couldn't trust them at the local elementary school,
> and McDonald's won't hire them; they don't speak the language.
>
> But there is something else that really makes this exciting, for we
> recognize that if a computer can play Jeopardy, it can be modified into
> being a general conversationalist.

Not the same problem domain or even all that close.  Can you turn it 
into a really good chatbot?  Maybe, maybe not depending on your standard 
of "good".  But that wouldn't be very exciting.    Very expensive way to 
keep folks in the nursing home entertained.

- samantha