# IBM supercomputer destroys human contestants on Jeopardy **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 14, 2011, 9:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ibm-supercomputer-destroys-human-contestants-on-jeopardy/567579 "2011-01-14T09:25:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2011, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ibm-supercomputer-destroys-human-contestants-on-jeopardy/567579/41 "2011-01-15T04:57:12Z")
> [@Nunzio\_Tavulari](#): > > One thing we have to nip in the bud right now. At some point they’ll tell us that this will lead to “thinking computers” that will do our work and give us more leisure time. We could have this if we chose it, and by ‘chose it’ I basically mean ‘moved to Europe’. ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2011, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ibm-supercomputer-destroys-human-contestants-on-jeopardy/567579/42 "2011-01-15T07:01:49Z")
> [@Arnold\_Winkelried](#): > > Aren’t you just moving the arbitrary point back a couple of seconds? No, because if you do, it’s no longer arbitrary. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2011, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ibm-supercomputer-destroys-human-contestants-on-jeopardy/567579/43 "2011-01-16T10:57:47Z")
> [@Manduck](#): > > We used to have a high school quiz show in Canada called Reach For The Top, where the rule was that you could buzz in before the question was finished, but if you did that and your answer was wrong, the penalty was doubled. So whether you buzzed in early or not would depend on how confident you were that you had the right answer. I’ve been in a quizzing program where, if you buzzed in early, you had to complete the question before you could give the answer. And, if you got it wrong, the penalty would be the same, but the question would be reread to the other team in its entirety, and they would be allowed to answer. (Unlike Jeopardy, this was not the case when the question is answered normally.) ---
**Author:** ![fuzzypickles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9d8465/32.png) [@fuzzypickles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fuzzypickles)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2011, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ibm-supercomputer-destroys-human-contestants-on-jeopardy/567579/44 "2011-01-16T17:20:52Z")
> [@mittu](#): > > Surely that gives Watson an advantage, if Watson is fed the text at the same time as it appears for the contestants then he has a head start whilst the contestants read the question. Clearly the longer the question the more chance Watson has of winning, he begins processing immediately and once 3 seconds have passed he is good to go, provided his confidence is high enough. Speaking of which I wonder what limit they have placed on the confidence level before an answer is given, i.e. will he answer at 50%, 60% or as low as 30%. Watson appears to come up with the top three possible answers almost immediately, but won’t buzz in unless “his” top choice is higher than 75-90% (it’s hard to detect the precise percentage, due to a VERY annoying banner ad which obscures Watson’s answers!) Humans, on the other hand, _will_ take a stab in the dark, or buzz in before they’ve come up with the answer – and we humans can adapt our strategy on the fly, whereas the cold, emotionless computer merely waits for further data before letting the missiles fly. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2011, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ibm-supercomputer-destroys-human-contestants-on-jeopardy/567579/45 "2011-01-16T17:23:49Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > \*When Ken Jennings was a little bitty baby > > Sitting on his daddy’s knee > > Well, he picked up a buzzer and a little piece of steel > > He said This buzzer’s going to be the death of me > > Lawd, Lawdy > > This buzzer’s going to be the death of me! > > - I bow down before you, **silenus**. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2011, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ibm-supercomputer-destroys-human-contestants-on-jeopardy/567579/46 "2011-01-16T20:02:11Z")
Would something like that be able to innovate novel ideas or is it limited to finding the answers that someone else has already discovered and written down in the database? I assume strictly the latter. Even if limited to the latter, I can see how in 10 years when the hardware is affordable for consumers that it will make a huge difference in people’s lives. Especially in fields like medicine or R&D if the database is updated daily, since at least in medicine there is about a 2 decade delay between research and clinical practice. But one that can come up with novel solutions (ie, it can create a novel solution to a question like ‘how do we expand human healthspan to 130 years’ as an example) is going to be far more interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2011, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ibm-supercomputer-destroys-human-contestants-on-jeopardy/567579/47 "2011-02-10T17:56:47Z")
Here’s [CNN.com](http://CNN.com)’s article on it: [http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/02/10/man-vs-computer-a-gaming-history/?iref=allsearch](http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/02/10/man-vs-computer-a-gaming-history/?iref=allsearch) ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2011, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ibm-supercomputer-destroys-human-contestants-on-jeopardy/567579/48 "2011-02-10T19:17:27Z")
Did anyone else catch the [NOVA](http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/tech/smartest-machine-on-earth.html) episode yesterday? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2011, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ibm-supercomputer-destroys-human-contestants-on-jeopardy/567579/49 "2011-02-10T19:22:37Z")
I wonder if anyone has asked Watson whether entropy can be reversed. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2011, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ibm-supercomputer-destroys-human-contestants-on-jeopardy/567579/50 "2011-02-10T19:38:59Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > Did anyone else catch the [NOVA](http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/tech/smartest-machine-on-earth.html) episode yesterday? NOVA episode was good. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2011, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ibm-supercomputer-destroys-human-contestants-on-jeopardy/567579/51 "2011-02-10T19:46:00Z")
Indeed! As impressive was Watson may be now, a greater appreciation for the developers grows when you watch how the quirks get worked out. Seeing the machine improve its own logic and learn to focus on what are the most important aspects of the question, as opposed to its original search logic which often zoomed in on words that were essentially irrelevant to the clue, resulting hilariously incorrect responses, was great to watch. ---
**Author:** ![Gedd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gedd/32/4938_2.png) [@Gedd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gedd)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2011, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ibm-supercomputer-destroys-human-contestants-on-jeopardy/567579/52 "2011-02-10T21:13:57Z")
When is it actually going to be on? The video in the OP was just practice. I wonder what it would be like to have two computers and one human, and finaly three computers. If all three were the same would they all stalemate? ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2011, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ibm-supercomputer-destroys-human-contestants-on-jeopardy/567579/53 "2011-02-10T21:16:40Z")
Next week! Feb 14-16. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2011, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ibm-supercomputer-destroys-human-contestants-on-jeopardy/567579/54 "2011-02-10T21:17:35Z")
The match is on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of next week. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2011, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ibm-supercomputer-destroys-human-contestants-on-jeopardy/567579/55 "2011-02-10T21:18:02Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I wonder if anyone has asked Watson whether entropy can be reversed. FTW! ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2011, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ibm-supercomputer-destroys-human-contestants-on-jeopardy/567579/56 "2011-02-10T21:19:24Z")
who wrote the old adage about computers and chess?( which can now be updated to include Jeopardy) “both a person and a computer can win a great game of chess. But only a person can enjoy it.” ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2011, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ibm-supercomputer-destroys-human-contestants-on-jeopardy/567579/57 "2011-02-10T21:24:28Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > who wrote the old adage about computers and chess?( which can now be updated to include Jeopardy) > > “both a person and a computer can win a great game of chess. > But only a person can enjoy it.” The pleasure circuits are still prototypes. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ibm-supercomputer-destroys-human-contestants-on-jeopardy/567579/58 "2011-02-11T02:49:08Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > Did anyone else catch the [NOVA](http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/tech/smartest-machine-on-earth.html) episode yesterday? Yes. Fascinating. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ibm-supercomputer-destroys-human-contestants-on-jeopardy/567579/59 "2011-02-11T03:25:10Z")
> [@Gedd](#): > > I wonder what it would be like to have two computers and one human, and finaly three computers. If all three were the same would they all stalemate? Christopher Reeve with a jar of acid behind his back is the tie-breaker. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ibm-supercomputer-destroys-human-contestants-on-jeopardy/567579/60 "2011-02-11T14:38:22Z")
WARNING! I got a virus (easily neutralized, but still) when I tried to play the video in the OP’s link (the second video on the page, I think – the one above the video of the two nerds.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ibm-supercomputer-destroys-human-contestants-on-jeopardy/567579.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ibm-supercomputer-destroys-human-contestants-on-jeopardy/567579.md?page=4)