IBM Watson University Challenge
IBMs Watson Symposium and Challenge was designed to highlight the technologies in Big Blues question-answer computer system and to discuss how the use of advanced analytics will change the way the world does business. IBM also demonstrated Watson’s question-answer capabilities, using once again the TV game show Jeopardy! to show off the computers prowess. The demonstration pitted HBS and MIT students against Watson. Here are some photos from the IBM Watson event.
Meet Watson
Meet IBM’s Watson, a supercomputer with the capability to understand human language, analyze data and learn correlations between data. This is Watson’s avatar.
The Speakers
Speakers at the IBM Watson University Symposium and Challenge included, from left to right: Eric Brynjolfsson from MIT, Andrew McAfee from MIT, Alfred Spector from Google, Rod Brooks from MIT and David Ferrucci from IBM.
IBM Innovation
Bernie Meyerson, vice president of innovation and academic programs at IBM, addresses students at Harvard Business School.
The Father of Watson
IBM’s Dave Ferrucci, lead researcher on the Watson project, gives a keynote speech at Harvard Business School.
MIT Students Get Psyched
MIT Sloan students Gautham Iyer, Ari Oxman and RJ Andrews, from left to right, prepare to challenge Harvard Business School and IBM Watson in a Jeopardy! exhibition match by quizzing each other on recent questions from the game show. Watson’s advanced analytics capabilities can sort through the equivalent of 200 million pages of data to uncover an answer in 3 seconds.
Students Square Off
HBS and MIT Sloan student teams see if they have what it takes to outsmart Watson in an exhibition game of Jeopardy!
Playing to the Crowd
An anxious and enthusiastic crowd, including many of the students’ classmates, watch in anticipation.
Hit the Buzzer!
Watson and student teams from HBS and MIT Sloan ponder the correct answer.
HBS Team
The HBS team, from left to right: Jonas Peter Akins, Jayanth Iyengar and Genevieve Sheehan.
The MIT Sloan Team and Watson
The MIT Sloan team, from left to right: RJ Andrews, Gautham Iyer and Ari Oxman.