Bench Press

Introducing today’s contestants…the IBM QA system Watson? That’s right folks. Our friends at IBM, not content with simply creating a supercomputer capable of defeating humans at Go, have taken it a step further and are currently creating a supercomputer (codenamed Watson) with the goal of it having the ability to beat humans at a game of Jeopardy!. [IBM Video on Watson at the bottom]

The interesting thing about this particular problem is, unlike with games of Go and Chess which have clearly defined rules and discrete moves/outcomes, playing a game of Jeopardy requires an understanding of semantics which has traditionally been relegated to the human domain.

Admittedly, there are natural language processing solutions out there. But at the end of the day, we’re a long way off from the computers displayed in Star Trek which can:

• Understand spoken words – This is a very challenging problem. How do you instruct a computer to not just comprehend words, but comprehend actual meaning to those words (semantics). The ability to understand that the “can” in “I can do it” is very different from the “can” in “soda can”, or that “being on pins and needles” is just an expression, or to even understand when a sentence is a question versus a statement are very deep problems. But this is only the beginning of Watson’s challenges, for Watson must also be able to…
• Search a massive database for relevant information – Merely searching a database for a list of possible results is a tractable problem that many database/search engines have already solved (e.g. searching for “Indian economy” on Google’s search engine). Searching a large database to find a particular answer behind the reams of data is much harder (e.g. understanding that “Economic Output” can be measured by a country’s GDP).
• Understand the relevant information – Just as it’s harder to understand Quantum Theory than it is to merely read the papers, IBM’s Watson must be able to parse the information that it’s found from its database. For instance, if asked to compare India’s economic output to its neighbors, a computer must not only understand that economic output is GDP, it must also understand what “neighbors” means in the context of India, understand that GDP may be “real” or “nominal” and may need to be adjusted by currency, and understand what it means to “compare” GDP’s.
• Formulate a response – This is related to the first ask, but is more challenging. Just as its harder to memorize the Bible than it is to recognize specific passages, IBM’s Watson must do more than just recognize/understand words – it must be able to create its own sentences which use the relevant information and understanding its developed.

The task is challenging, but not impossible. Already, researchers have demonstrated computers which have been able to do the scientific method (hypothesize –> experiment/test –> analyze –> formulate new hypotheses) all on their own. Granted, the scientific problem explored was more systematic in nature (and had a more well-defined solution set than a game of Jeopardy) as it was focused on finding missing pieces in metabolic networks, but the fact that a computer was capable of performing basic high level logic is very promising for fields of research (although threatening to lab techs and uncreative grad students everywhere) which were formerly intractable due to their scope (e.g. mapping out the human proteome or transcriptome).

“The essence of making decisions is recognizing patterns in vast amounts of data, sorting through choices and options, and responding quickly and accurately,” said Samuel J. Palmisano, IBM Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer. “Watson is a compelling example of how the planet—companies, industries, cities—is becoming smarter. With advanced computing power and deep analytics, we can infuse business and societal systems with intelligence. This project is the latest example of IBM’s longstanding commitment to fundamental research and to overcoming ‘grand challenges’ in science and technology.”

Although I don’t know how well Watson would fare against Ken Jennings, Watson’s completion would be a landmark in artificial intelligence. It’ll be interesting to see if IBM’s Watson does as well as IBM promises. Although I don’t know how well Watson would fare against Ken Jennings, Watson’s completion would be a landmark in artificial intelligence and computer science. Watson may pave the way to an age where computers can actively aid doctors diagnose patients or help business executives make financial decisions (which is probably what IBM is going for here).

(Image Credit) (Video)