SCIENCE

IBM has developed and engineered a supercomputer capable of answering such a wide array of questions that the company has challenged two of the all-time Jeopardy champions to a match. The supercomputer, known as Watson, has a 15 TB knowledge base to draw from and uses complex algorithms to interpret questions.

Watson’s debut marks a coming of age for Virtual Agent technology, and for Artificial Intelligence in general. Although mainstream culture has long been aware of Artificial Intelligence, the acceptance for practical usage has been slow. Watson’s television debut will assist in increasing awareness of the progress Artificial Intelligence has made over the years, and its potential for further development in practical settings such as customer support, healthcare, tourism, and more.

While IBM’s development of Watson is the latest instance of a large company investing in Artificial Intelligence, it is certainly not the only recent case. In April of 2010, Apple acquired Siri, a virtual personal assistant for the iPhone.

Artificial Intelligence is the engine behind a Virtual Agent, and since 1999, has been at the core of products made by noHold. As a leader in Virtual Agent technology, noHold looks forward to the continued use, development, and adaption of Artificial Intelligence.

“AI is the next logical evolution of man – machine interface. In a market crowded by vendors who focus on the most superficial aspects of Virtual Agents (Avatars, Voice Synthesis, etc.), we will continue to distinguish ourselves as the one providing the smartest ‘brain’. We are proud to have been there from the very beginning.