IBM supercomputer will compete on Jeopardy next year

By Molly McHugh December 14, 2010

We see all types of people on Jeopardy!, and this February that will extend from “people” to “computers.” IBM is working on a device that it claims will be able to rival the two most successful champions of the game show, Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter.

As you may remember, Jennings won the most consecutive games ever during the 2004 to 2005 season, and Rutler holds the title of most money taken home by a Jeopardy! contestant. But February 14 through 16, the two decorated winners will face a new type of challenge, one built specifically with them in mind.

Recommended Videos

Scientists at IBM have been developing a machine for two years that “can understand and answer complex questions with enough precision and speed to compete against some of the best Jeopardy! contestants out there.” The supercomputer has been codenamed Watson and has been programmed to not only recognize human language, but comprehend its meaning. It’s technically referred to as a “Question Answering” or QA system, and IBM assures us that Watson will have no outside help via Internet connection.

Jeopardy! questions often involve more than just a straightforward question. There are riddles and word play, things difficult for your ordinary computer to decipher. But Watson will be able to “distinguish between relevant and irrelevant content, and ultimately, demonstrate confidence to deliver precise final answers.” And it will also answer with the speed necessary to win the game. The machine has been training for the big day. Over the fall, Watson took on over 50 former Jeopardy! winners as practice, and passed the same exam all participants of the game show are required to take.

In a press release, IBM revealed that there is more to Watson than winning a game show. The purpose of the supercomputer is to take human-computer communication to the next level by imitating the human mind as closely and accurately as possible.

The winner of the upcoming tournament will receive $1 million; second place $300,000 and third $200,000. The human contestants will donate half of their earnings if they win, and Watson will donate all of it. May the best man or machine win.

Topics

Entertainment

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Before coming to Digital Trends, Molly worked as a freelance writer, occasional photographer, and general technical lackey…

Computing

I have Meta Quest 3S and this is the best VR accessory yet — it’s on sale

Kiwi Design best VR accessory Meta Quest 3 headstrap

Ahead of the holidays and some prime family time, I've picked up the Meta Quest 3S. So far, my family is absolutely loving it, and my kids are constantly bugging me to play games, explore worlds, and get virtual. Naturally, I manage the time we're all spending -- you don't want too much screen time. But regardless, every one of us ends up becoming immersed, which means spending a lot of time with the headset on. One of the biggest drawbacks of the stock setup is that the headstrap is uncomfortable, and it puts a lot of pressure on your face. That means, the Meta Quest 3S's best VR accessory -- and the Meta Quest 3, too -- is a new, custom strap.

We grabbed the Kiwi Design Quest 3-Quest 3S headstrap and it's fantastic. It's also on sale right now for 20% off. Normally $30, it's discounted to $24 with a coupon code. Why am I sharing? If you pick up a Meta Quest 3 or 3S for yourself, or you're planning to gift one to someone over the holidays, I highly recommend ordering one of these straps. It vastly improves the experience and makes wearing the headset much more comfortable. It's also easy to adjust the fit, which is a big deal for kids. You have no idea how frustrating it was to constantly adjust the headstrap for my children between each turn.

Computing

Best early GPU Black Friday deals: Save on top graphics cards now

The Gigabyte RX 6750 GRE graphics card over a dark background.

Building a PC from scratch can be a lot of fun, and with the upcoming Black Friday on November 29, it's a perfect time for you to pick up hardware. One of the most fun bits of any build is picking the parts, and for that, graphics cards are probably the most fun to pick between. That said, GPUs also tend to be the most expensive pieces of hardware that go into a desktop, especially if you're trying to aim for something in the mid-to-high-end range that can easily reach $500 or even $1,000. That's why we've gone out and collected some of our favorite early Black Friday GPU deals for you below.
GIGABYTE NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 -- $290 $350 17% off

This RTX 3060 is a great starter card for those who want to be on a budget and will handle most slightly older games pretty well at 1080p and 60Hz, potentially up to 100. It may struggle a bit with newer titles without compromises, but that's fine given the reduced $290 price point.

Computing

Nvidia just scaled down DLSS 3, and that’s a good thing

The RTX 4080 Super graphics card sitting on a pink background.

Nvidia's signature tech, DLSS 3, just got yet another update -- and although it's subtle, it actually seems like a good thing for some of the best graphics cards. The latest version, 3.8.10, bundled with the GeForce 566.14 driver, doesn't seem to introduce any major changes, but Nvidia enthusiasts noticed that it's about half the size that it used to be. Where's that difference coming from?

No, Nvidia didn't downgrade DLSS 3 -- at least not in any major way. Although this hasn't been confirmed by Nvidia itself, it appears that the company removed a whole bunch of DLSS presets and replaced them with just two. These presets make it easier for gamers to choose the type of focus they want to apply to each game.