Editor's note: This is a guest post by IBM's Director of Strategy and Marketing for Database Software and Systems Bernie Spang.Like many of my colleagues in the IT business, I am often disappointed by the lack of interest I am able to generate among my family and friends when discussing my work. But thanks to Watson, the computing system that can play quiz show Jeopardy! at a champion level, I have experienced a few precious moments where both my kids and parents showed interest in my work
My 15 year old son and 76 year old father both had the same reaction after watching the Watson-Jeopardy! Challenge commercial during the NFL playoffs: “that's cool, but why did IBM build a computer to play games?”
Surprisingly, they both gave me five minutes of their attention – just long enough to sneak in an explanation of how Watson is connected to the IBM Information Management software portfolio.
What is Information Management?
Watson incorporates open technology such as UIMA (Unstructured Information Management Architecture), Eclipse, and Apache Hadoop. The first two of which IBM contributed to the open source community. To build on the medical reference IBM Research Senior Vice President Dr. John Kelly made at the Watson-Jeopardy! press conference in January, a healthcare provider can use this software to analyze patient and treatment information – including doctors’ notes and clinical reports – to pinpoint illness trends and successful treatments.
More about what’s inside Watson Craig Rhinehart connects Watson and Content Analytics in his blog: 10 Things You Need to Know About the Technology Behind Watson. |
These capabilities Watson uses Apache Hadoop to analyze massive amounts of information is also used in IBM’s InfoSphere BigInsights software. And IBM InfoSphere Warehouse uses the UIMA technology for text analytics – just as Watson does.
A new addition to the InfoSphere portfolio, called Streams, analyzes information flowing through systems that may never be stored. Streams can analyze thousands of pieces of vital sign telemetry per second to help save the lives of premature babies (another compelling example that kept my son and father intrigued). While Watson does not use a form of Streams, the two have shared heritage as IBM Research projects.
If you are anything like my dad and son, you are about at your limit of examples to absorb. But hopefully you, too, already get the point. While Watson is an amazing feat of Question Answer technology, my son and dad think the future possibilities for Watson are pretty cool, too.
Typo: “that's cool, but why didBM build a computer to play games?”
ReplyDeleteCool show, though. That's a nice leap forward for machine-kind. :)
I was a systems engineer for IBM at the TJW Yorktown Research Center and its Mohansic offshoot in the mid '60s. I was liaison to the Yale School of Medicine testing a program called Clinical Decision Support System. It was an "Expert System" before people knew what Expert Systems were. It was loaded with methods and data (objects) concerning clinical medicine (as an internist), although, since it was a shell, it could be loaded with any domain knowledge. The docs tolerated it for a while, but soon abandoned using it, not because it performed badly, but because they trusted their instincts more than the results given by CDSS. In addition, the technology of the time required manual typed input and printed output. One doc told me that docs were "assembly line workers" - his words - and couldn't be bothered by things that slowed their intuitions down or presented contrary evidence they didn't have time to consider. So, CDSS found a moderately successful niche in airliner maintenance and repair before being mostly abandoned by IBM (an ES shell was later built in Palo Alto SC). Bottom line: IBM is repeating a mistake by starting out using Watson in a medical setting, regardless of its amazing new capabilities. The docs won't use it, especially primary care physicians who have the care of approximately 2000-3000 people, as my fine PCP does. You should choose some other field that has a higher probability of complete acceptance. But Big Blue is not the old Big Blue and Wild Ducks like me are probably no longer appreciated. You are going for the home run, regardless of the odds. Good luck anyway.
ReplyDeletePlease view the replay from today's TEDtalk with members of the IBM Watson team for more information on Watson - http://www.ted.com/webcast/archive/event/ibmwatson
ReplyDeleteKevin
Editor
Think we could get InfoSphere or Initiate featured on the final episode of House MD where machine replaces diagnositician?
ReplyDeleteI have a question. Why do you use Blogger instead of a web with your own domain?
ReplyDeleteI believe this blog post, along with all the comments,Like many of my colleagues in the IT business, I am often disappointed by the lack of interest I am able to generate among my family and friends when discussing my work. But thanks to Watson, the computing system that can play quiz show Jeopardy! at a champion level, I have experienced a few precious moments where both my kids and parents showed interest in my work
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