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 Mike Robuck
1/20/2016 6:04:06 PM User Rank Author 
Watson
IBM's Watson computer does more than play Jeopardy and banter with Bob Dylan. It's on the cusp of analyzing sound signatures and other data related info.
 Editoria43531
1/21/2016 10:51:32 AM User Rank Gold
Re: Watson
I was hoping to hear more about IBM's commercial deployments of it, since it always seem to be used as a "imagine the possibilities" type of prototype. That's interesting that the technology is open for anyone to innovate on and use though.
 Ariella
1/21/2016 6:17:30 PM User Rank Author
Re: Watson
@Editoria43531 IBM has been pushing Watson's commercial deployment. Already 2 years ago, there was this article on 9 commercial applications: http://abcnews.go.com/Business/top-commercial-ibm-watson-jeopardy/story?id=21477280
 mhhf1ve
1/22/2016 7:28:12 PM User Rank Platinum
Re: Watson
I recall Watson tech was also good a composing a whole cookbook based on old recipes.. and it somehow figured out other novel (and hopefully appetizing) dishes.
Formulation help to optimize recipes --or shampoo/perfume/etc ingredients-- could be an interesting and very tangible way to demonstrate Watson's abilities, but I'm not sure how many people would immediately trust the taste of food if they were told a computer came up with the recipe. Ariella
1/23/2016 6:21:17 PM User Rank Author
Re: Watson
@mhhf1ve I actually was in contact with one of the people who was applying and promoting what IBM calls Chef Watson. One of the things she does is cook with groups like girl scouts. She thought it was useful in finding locally sourced ingredients and also for suggestions for substitutions, particuarly useful for people who have certain food allergies or who prefer to opt for organic, etc.
mhhf1ve
1/23/2016 6:31:32 PM User Rank Platinum
Re: Watson
Chef Watson is pretty neat. But it actually strikes me as a poor use for the potential of AI. It's not like Watson really knows what anything tastes like. Watson presumably needs some human feedback to make sure the recipes are palatable. Maybe I'm mistaken and Watson has come up with some amazing recipes that no one would have ever tried -- and would still be delicious.
Ariella
1/23/2016 6:35:04 PM User Rank Author
Re: Watson
@mhhf1ve I think that was really about showing creative and fun applications for the technology. It also seems to dig into the chemistry of food to come up with some combinations. I recall reading about some pairing it suggested that sounded odd to people but really worked. See http://www.bonappetit.com/entertaining-style/trends-news/article/chef-watson-app
mhhf1ve
1/23/2016 6:46:08 PM User Rank Platinum
Re: Watson
Chef Watson is a nice demo, no doubt. And I've heard that it has come up with some tasty pairings that sounded unusual. But I'm still a little skeptical about its value outside of commercial packaged foods. Maybe chef Watson can figure out better preservative combinations that are healthier. But for at-home cooks? I guess I just don't see Watson replacing online recipe forums run by humans.
Ariella
1/23/2016 8:05:41 PM User Rank Author
Re: Watson
@mhhf1ve Personally, I agree, though IBM is really trying to push it through, finding different avenues like the Girl Scouts. See http://www.tarheelfoodie.com/2015/07/01/ibms-chef-watson-girl-scout-badge-challenge/ But the article reveals that it was only of limited use. There was no alternative to squid ink, so any substitution feature didn't help there. Also the human in charge decided to eliminate one of Watson's suggested ingredients. As for historical accuracy of cuisine and ingredients, you probably can get that from a book or even some sites and don't really need something like Watson for that.
 Joe Stanganelli
1/24/2016 1:26:28 PM User Rank Author
Re: Watson
@mhh: I'm not convinced Watson would be -- at the very least -- any worse than those hipster food blogs and their ridiculous suggestions.
(Protip: More kale isn't the answer.)  ms.akkineni
1/22/2016 11:10:48 PM User Rank Platinum
Re: Watson
I was an IBMer at the time when IBM started big with Watson. I would say the company didn't reach the heights as anticipated with Watson. IBM was surely struggking two years ago. I recall reading an article in Wall Street Journak that time.
mhhf1ve
1/22/2016 7:45:11 PM User Rank Platinum
Re: Watson
IBM isn't the only big tech company opening up "deep learning" software. Google, Facebook, OpenAI, Microsoft and more are all opening up their AI platforms to get more developers to use and push this tech forward.
Cognitive computing is already doing sigificant commercial tasks (Facebook newsfeed, Google search engine results, Siri, Google Now, Cortana, etc), but many people don't think about these tasks as artificial intelligence because it's not doing things that humans really do... yet. But when human-based concierge services can be replaced with computerized versions.. the line for what a "human task" is will blur. (And Amazon's Mechanical Turk might not be composed of as many humans as we think.) ms.akkineni
1/22/2016 11:23:41 PM User Rank Platinum
Re: Watson
IBM is gearing up with Cognitive Computing. Earlier this month the CEO announced its next big bet - Cognitive Solutions, which is the prowess of its IOT cloud and watson. It is bigger than AI and in fact AI could just be one of the components.
Here is an inresting read. http://www.techrepublic.com/article/ces-2016-ibm-one-ups-ai-with-cognitive-solutions-rometty-declares-dawn-of-new-era/, mhhf1ve
1/23/2016 3:51:38 AM User Rank Platinum
Re: Watson
Re-branding AI sounds like a good idea since the field of artificial intelligence has never lived up to the hype. The goalposts for achieving AI have moved further and further over the years, so it's only fair to start changing the names of the milestones until the "strong AI" folks succeed.
Joe Stanganelli
1/23/2016 12:08:45 PM User Rank Author
Re: Watson
Ditto, I think for VR.
When there are new products in the area of advanced, not-quite-there technologies like AI and VR, they are always enormous disappointments because of what we have been promised AI, VR, etc. really are supposed to be. A rebranding is in order -- until the day we have true AI, true VR, and so on. Joe Stanganelli
1/23/2016 12:12:27 PM User Rank Author
Re: Watson
@Editoria: For commercial deployments, Watson is especially big in the area of healthcare. IBM executives relate the company's (pleasant) surprise when, after the Jeopardy episode aired, they started getting contacted by doctors.
The doctors weren't interested in the fact that Watson got the right answer most of the time. What they were most interested in was the list of possibilities Watson came up with ordered by likelihood of being correct. These doctors reported many missed diagnoses that could have been completely avoided with a tool like Watson. And so Watson Health was born -- and is a very promising tool in the healthcare and life sciences sectors for diagnostic medicine and disease research. mhhf1ve
1/23/2016 3:45:04 PM User Rank Platinum
Re: Watson
Automated medical diagnosis was one of the hyped promises of AI back in the 70s. It never really panned out as a "replacement" for human doctors -- and I doubt it ever will. But as a tool to help doctors, it looks like AI could serve us well.
Ariella
1/23/2016 6:28:10 PM User Rank Author
Re: Watson
<Automated medical diagnosis was one of the hyped promises of AI back in the 70s. It never really panned out as a "replacement" for human doctors -- and I doubt it ever will. But as a tool to help doctors, it looks like AI could serve us well. >
@mhhf1ve It's true, we don't quite have that, but we do have web-enabled doctor's visits. For example, Minneapolis-based Zipnosis promises "online diagnosis and treatment in minutes" for $25. It works off the information a patient provides in an online interview and a local clinician's diagnosis. It covers common ailments like athlete's foot, hay fever, cold, flu, pink eye, diaper rash, and a number of infections. What it doesn't cover is diagnosis for conditions that would require blood work or X-rays. But I think that in future we should have some kind of vending machine that would be able to do that. It could be set up rather like a photo both for X-Rays where you need them with some privacy (with a patient sign-off about assumption of risk) etc. That could then be fed into software that offers a read on the X-ray, which already exists and is in use. As for the blood Theraons is already going in that direction -- taking blood work out of the lab for faster, easier tests with almost instant results. See http://fortune.com/2015/05/07/theranos-jump-starts-consumer-lab-testing/ mhhf1ve
1/23/2016 6:35:33 PM User Rank Platinum
Re: Watson
Hmm. Not so sure we'll return to the days where X-ray machines are available in shopping malls -- I can't believe people used to get their shoe size with an X-ray scan. But then again, it's also unbelievable that anyone would allow toxic levels of lead in drinking water nowadays.
Ariella
1/23/2016 6:43:13 PM User Rank Author
Re: Watson
@mhhf1ve I understand that concern, but in truth, it's not that different from getting it at a hospital. I don't think most people would do it just for kicks, and if they do, then it's their funeral. A legal form with informed consent (something they have to give you before every medical procedure at a hospital, too) would have to be signed.
mhhf1ve
1/23/2016 8:24:09 PM User Rank Platinum
Re: Watson
Considering the legal liability issues for any medical device, it's pretty difficult to put any kind of radiation into the hands of the public. Otherwise we'd have cheap dental X-rays and sonograms in every Walmart.
I'm not convinced that Dr Watson wouldn't need to be highly regulated before widespread use.
Ariella
1/23/2016 8:38:43 PM User Rank Author
Re: Watson
@mhhf1ve My understanding of Watson for healthcare is that it is used primarily by doctors, researchers, and, possibly, pharmaceutical companies. For the common man, there's WebMD, which supposedly can convince anyone their symptoms are a sign of cancer as this shows.
 aS for X-Rays, I've even found DIY instructions for a machine that can even do a CT-scan (which bombards you with even more radiation) online like in this video To concede your point, the last comment does say this:Bryan Jay Hezeta 8 months ago (edited)
I agree this is a good project but the risk of radiation involved is to be considered. Any amount of radiation may pose a risk that is why standards and radiation protection procedures were formulated. And as a radiographer I highly suggest that this should not be done by anyone without the proper knowledge and guidance of a professional trained and licensed to handle this types of equipments
Considering that you can be X-rayed before boarding a plane, does anyone think about the levels of exposure there?
Joe Stanganelli
1/24/2016 1:23:46 PM User Rank Author
Re: Watson
@Ariella: Reminds me of the contention between the TSA workers union at Boston Logan airport and the TSA regarding radiation exposure from the scanning machines. They wanted radiation exposure cards/bracelets/whatever. They lost that battle, though.
In any case, says a lot about what travelers are being exposed to. Ariella
1/24/2016 1:26:39 PM User Rank Author
Re: Watson
@Joe yes, but I don't recall getting any full disclosure form to that effect before boarding a plane. It seeems standards only hold in the conrexts where they are expected -- as in healthcare.
Joe Stanganelli
1/24/2016 1:30:28 PM User Rank Author
Re: Watson
There's a lot of evidence to suggest that the TSA is being less than forthcoming about the safety of the machines and/or doesn't know what it's doing. The agency has outright refused to have its machines professionally calibrated, and doctors actively advise pregnant women and others with particular issues to avoid consenting to the airport scans.
Ariella
1/24/2016 1:57:21 PM User Rank Author
Re: Watson
@Joe I know you have the right to say you'll get a manual check instead, but I think some people find that a lot more invasive. With no happy option, people have seized on the idea of a booth that detonates any bombs concealed on a person. But, as snopes shows, that is a bit of fiction, not fact. See http://www.snopes.com/crime/deserts/booth.asp
Joe Stanganelli
1/25/2016 9:09:51 AM User Rank Author
Re: Watson
@Ariella: The option to decline the body scan is no longer, well, an option.
Ariella
1/25/2016 9:14:40 AM User Rank Author
Re: Watson
@Joe I see, though even that is not altogether clear as it says, " it would require full-body scans for some travelers." I suppose that means that those not in that category of "some" would still have the option, though creating such distinctions is usually the equivalent of open Pandora's box.
Joe Stanganelli
1/25/2016 9:16:53 AM User Rank Author
Re: Watson
@Ariella: "Some," of course, means whoever they feel like including in that category.
Which, knowing the TSA, is probably pretty much anyone who makes them go through the extra trouble of giving them a preemptive patdown. ms.akkineni
1/25/2016 11:01:01 AM User Rank Platinum
Re: Watson
@Joe, @Ariella:
I always tend to think, no matter whichever option it is. They do go on with their way of CHECKING. But the real culprits always manage not to be causght in any of these checks. Till date we see/hear some random cases where they hold takeoff when they find someone onboard suspicious or found some material somewhere. Joe Stanganelli
1/27/2016 3:26:18 PM User Rank Author
Re: Watson
Certainly other agencies, like the FBI have, but I am aware of no instance in which case the TSA has thwarted an attack.
I didn't mind basic, pre-2002 metal detectors so much (and even their efficacy has long and loudly been called into question), but what the rest of it has become is silly. mhhf1ve
1/25/2016 3:45:28 PM User Rank Platinum
Re: Watson
DIY X-ray scanners might be a do-able one-off project, but actually making them for medical use by the layperson? That strikes as the same problem that Tesla pointed out to the guy who built a self-driving car in his garage:
http://www.bloomberg.com/features/2015-george-hotz-self-driving-car/ Sure, it can be done.. but it doesn't have the layers of safety cross-checks and liability insurance as a full-fledged corporate-backed autonomous car does. Athough... http://www.wired.com/2015/10/obviously-drivers-are-already-abusing-teslas-autopilot/ As for the TSA body scanners, there have been some health inquiries for those... and most of those scanners use non-ionizing radiation (not x-rays!). The jury may still be out, but it's most likely about as harmful as cellphone radiation... or flying on a plane for a few hours. Ariella
1/25/2016 4:16:22 PM User Rank Author
Re: Watson
@mhhf1ve This past week, I was talking to one of my kids about self-driving cars and hacked cars. She said that would end up on a crime show. Sure enough, last week's Elementary featured a murder via a hacked car with the software disabling the brake and driving it to crash. That's not a spoiler BTW because it became obvious right at the beginning. The only mystery was who was behind it and why.
mhhf1ve
1/25/2016 10:03:05 PM User Rank Platinum
Re: Watson
The "scary" hacks for making a car kill someone seem to be a bit unlikely... Whoever did it would have to have physical access to the car itself -- or some really improbable way to remotely hack into a car's systems.
Perhaps autonomous cars should be smart enough to detect incoming security breaches! But we're not there yet.  mpouraryan
1/27/2016 3:56:23 AM User Rank Platinum
Re: Watson
Hi there--although we're not there--but we're making strides. What Telsa has already been able to do is the perfect illustration. However, "scary" to a degree is true because the question then is: What about we humans? What are we left to do? Will this be our future?
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0407362/ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0407362/http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0407362/  DHagar
1/27/2016 1:51:19 PM User Rank Platinum
Re: Watson
mhhf1ve, now you are talking. Clearly they can program detection from "foreign" or unauthorized signals. Although hackers will try to break through, you will fall into the overall security issues, with layers, etc. But we can build protection against foreign commands.
One wonders as well whether it would require an on-site command - as I don't see us sending our cars on errands on their own? mhhf1ve
1/27/2016 6:33:10 PM User Rank Platinum
Re: Watson
> "as I don't see us sending our cars on errands on their own?"
A "Level 4" autonomous vehicle should be able to get from point A to point B all on its own -- without any occupants in the car. So... perhaps these cars *will* be able to run simple errands -- or carry robots that can complete even more complex tasks. I've seen some drones attached to concept vehicles already, so you can imagine we're not THAT far from having a car that can transport a drone that can fly over and deliver stuff without any human involvement during the process. http://www.nhtsa.gov/About+NHTSA/Press+Releases/U.S.+Department+of+Transportation+Releases+Policy+on+Automated+Vehicle+Development DHagar
1/27/2016 6:42:43 PM User Rank Platinum
Re: Watson
mhhf1ve, I'm with you - good analysis. But in that case if we choose to run errands under the direction of robots (which could work), I am going to give the controls still to the robot to watch over any "rogue" activities.
Thanks for your vision. Things definitely could change. mhhf1ve
1/27/2016 7:03:46 PM User Rank Platinum
Re: Watson
Automated cognitive tasks may soon combine with physical tasks. The field of robotics is really getting some impressive advances, and it's only getting better and better.
Right now, we have telepresence bots that aren't too robust but serve a purpose: http://www.wired.com/2015/09/my-life-as-a-robot-double-robotics-telecommuting-longread/ and even some more capable robots: http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/humanoids/atlas-does-some-chores And these robots are going to be even more useful with higher cognitive functions processed in the cloud and sent to the mechanical bot on the ground (or in the air if it's a drone). DHagar
1/28/2016 12:18:38 PM User Rank Platinum
Re: Watson
mhhf1ve, that's impressive - thanks!
I truly believe that there are multiple roles and functions we can use robotics for. I think this has great potential to truly open up all types of services - from security to personal assistants to healthcare, etc. If developed properly, I think the future with robots can be both a consumer and commercial success. mhhf1ve
1/28/2016 2:52:01 PM User Rank Platinum
Re: Watson
You know what's even more impressive? A computer algorithm is now at the level of beating an expert human Go player -- five times in a row.
https://googleblog.blogspot.com/2016/01/alphago-machine-learning-game-go.html So IBM conquered chess, and now Go is almost "solved" -- cognitive computers are going to really start to do some incredible things soon. DHagar
1/28/2016 3:33:10 PM User Rank Platinum
Re: Watson
mhhf1ve, wow! That is impressive - those are true tests!
Thanks for info. Joe Stanganelli
1/28/2016 10:56:11 PM User Rank Author
Re: Watson
@mhh: I'll be impressed when computer players can routinely both effectively partner with and effectively defeat the top bridge players in the world.
Joe Stanganelli
1/28/2016 10:57:25 PM User Rank Author
Re: Watson
@mhh: Indeed, the next step -- likely -- is self-driving Google Express vehicles that the merchants are paid a bit extra to preload.
mpouraryan
1/27/2016 4:00:10 AM User Rank Platinum
Re: Watson
James Bond First "began it"...didn't it?
But again the idea of it being susceptible to wrong uses is a reality--and it was underscored by the work the Death Cult (IS) is doing in Syria in testing driverless cars to use them for Bombs. Joe Stanganelli
1/27/2016 3:28:00 PM User Rank Author
Re: Watson
@Ariella: How apt of you to include an Elementary reference in a discussion about Watson! ;)
Joe Stanganelli
1/24/2016 1:21:31 PM User Rank Author
Re: Watson
@mhh: As it has been explained to me by IBM execs, the doctors who have tried this out have responded along the lines of, "Okay, I would have thought of that (the first choice), I would have thought of the second thing, I would have thought of the third most likely thing, but that fourth thing -- I wouldn't have thought of that."
mhhf1ve
1/25/2016 3:48:07 PM User Rank Platinum
Re: Watson
It's interesting that Dr Watson could point to less probable diagnoses -- as the human adage is usually "think horses, not zebras"... Watson doesn't have such biases in its programming to eliminate the weird diagnosis that might actually apply.
Watson would make for an incredibly boring episode of House (the TV medical drama), though... Ariella
1/25/2016 4:01:22 PM User Rank Author
Re: Watson
@mhhf1ve Certainly, it's the wrong guesses and the near death (sometimes even actual death) experiences that the wrong approach brings about that adds to the drama. But real doctors really don't function that way. They think very much in the box about standard things. I know that from my own experience with my kids' pneumothorax. The doctor first thought it was pneumonia because that's much more common in the patients he sees. Then my son had a second one, and even though we brought him to a pumonologist, he didn't diagnose it as such because it didn't register on the X-ray then. He only said to still go to an emergency room because he advised a test for a blood clot, and labs would not have still been open then.
DHagar
1/25/2016 9:35:04 PM User Rank Platinum
Re: Watson
mhhf1ve, boring yes, but much more accurate - which I will take! Actually, I have been tracking the cognitive systems and analytics and it truly is fascinating, including the autonomous self-driving cars - including taking a course from the Stanford professor involved in that technology.
I think cognitive systems move technology into another realm in the ability to actually apply technology to the decisions and problems we face. With the right balance it moves technology into a value that better defines the ROI for technology. mpouraryan
1/27/2016 4:01:31 AM User Rank Platinum
Re: Watson
IBM has been at the forefront with the World Technology Grid that I have participated in for about 10 years. I would suggest that IBM understood this long before a lot of others--and has harnessed the technology. Just like everything else, it is not perfect--but that's what makes this so much fun, right?
:)) Joe Stanganelli
1/28/2016 10:55:17 PM User Rank Author
Re: Watson
It's less about finding the "weird" diagnosis and identifying the most likely diagnoses -- including ones that doctors might not necessarily think of.
Joe Stanganelli
1/23/2016 12:11:11 PM User Rank Author
Re: Watson
@Mike: Don't forget the fact that Watson can cook and come up with nifty recipes! ;)
Ariella
1/23/2016 8:30:49 PM User Rank Author
Re: Watson
<Don't forget the fact that Watson can cook and come up with nifty recipes! ;)> @Joe, if it really could cook,it would have more appeal for me. There is some tech for that -- a robot chef -- not from IBM but from Moley Robotics. See http://time.com/3819525/robot-chef-moley-robotics/
Joe Stanganelli
1/24/2016 1:24:56 PM User Rank Author
Re: Watson
@Ariella: Ah. But there's Chef Watson! Watson may not have the arms or mechanical ability to prepare the food itself, but it can at least tell you what to do as its sous chef. ;)
ms.akkineni
1/25/2016 6:38:49 PM User Rank Platinum
Watson and AI
Folks, For people that are interetsed here is what I came across. Has a good insight of IBM's vision on Watson and Artificial Intelligence. Mike Rhodin, head of IBM Watson, on the future of artificial intelligence.http://onforb.es/1SZ04w9 DHagar
1/25/2016 9:38:12 PM User Rank Platinum
Re: Watson and AI
ms.akkineni, thanks good info.! Artificial intelligence, Watson, and cognitive learning systems really make sense. When you begin to produce "usable" information, and link telecomms as suppliers of new data sources, you have created a system that provides something you can't get easily otherwise. I believe these data networks will increasingly be the standard and become a basic utility.
mpouraryan
1/27/2016 3:58:02 AM User Rank Platinum
Re: Watson and AI
The transformation is already here--for instance IBM's release of the APP to leverage Watson's Technology is one example of the application of Watson to the future. The challenge for IBM is to continue its move away from hardware. One further good sign for IBM: It continues to lead in Patents--which means that what t our "Virtual Guest" noted is a sign of things to come.
DHagar
1/27/2016 1:46:08 PM User Rank Platinum
Re: Watson and AI
mouraryan, you are so right about the challenge for IBM. They have invested in both the technology as well as building the "brain trust" though that gives them the capability to move beyond hardware. They are in a unique position in the market to capitalize on that and continue to unleash value from AI/Watson/Analytics - if they can keep evolving.
mpouraryan
1/27/2016 1:59:00 PM User Rank Platinum
Re: Watson and AI
It will be fascinating to watch--The key is execution and it is yet to be realized. Just checked on their stock--near 52 week lows.
DHagar
1/27/2016 2:18:50 PM User Rank Platinum
Re: Watson and AI
mpouraryan, yes, it will. They will have to "prove" the value in the marketplace. However, if they do, they will be in an excellent position. I believe Cognitive Computing is evolving and will prove invaluable.
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