IBM Computer Program To Take On 'Jeopardy!' 213
longacre writes "I.B.M. plans to announce Monday that it is in the final stages of completing a computer program to compete against human 'Jeopardy!' contestants. If the program beats the humans, the field of artificial intelligence will have made a leap forward. ... The team is aiming not at a true thinking machine but at a new class of software that can 'understand' human questions and respond to them correctly. Such a program would have enormous economic implications. ... The proposed contest is an effort by I.B.M. to prove that its researchers can make significant technical progress by picking "grand challenges" like its early chess foray. The new bid is based on three years of work by a team that has grown to 20 experts in fields like natural language processing, machine learning and information retrieval. ... Under the rules of the match that the company has negotiated with the 'Jeopardy!' producers, the computer will not have to emulate all human qualities. It will receive questions as electronic text. The human contestants will both see the text of each question and hear it spoken by the show's host, Alex Trebek. ... Mr. Friedman added that they were also thinking about whom the human contestants should be and were considering inviting Ken Jennings, the 'Jeopardy!' contestant who won 74 consecutive times and collected $2.52 million in 2004."
Great... more phone-bots (Score:3, Funny)
Why employ real people when you can annoy the hell out of everyone who calls in by subjecting them to yet another tier of phone-bots.
The code name (Score:5, Funny)
Sources say the code-name for IBM's project is "Connery".
Trebek : This nobleman is believed to have written many of Shakespeare's works.
"Connery" : [pause] So that's your game, is it, Trebek? I was a coveted performer among the brothel ladies while you were still pissing your knee-pants, boy.
Trebek : Can one of the IBM people fix the computer?
"Connery" : Your mother's a whore. But don't feel badly, Trebek. She's not a very good one. Ha ha, ha ha!
Wierd (Score:5, Funny)
Anyone else hearing "I Lost on Jeopardy" in their heads at the moment?
Hmm.. (Score:3, Funny)
Jeopardy doesn't work that way (Score:5, Funny)
I feel like someone should tell them how Jeopardy works... That thing isn't going to have too many questions to respond to.
Except at the "meet the contestant" part, maybe, which by the way should be fascinating.
Re:Weird Al (or is it A.I.?) (Score:5, Funny)
Anyone else hearing "I Lost on Jeopardy" in their heads at the moment?
Now I am. Thanks for that. Jerk.
Re:Leap Forward? (Score:4, Funny)
Exactly what I was thinking.
Jinx! You owe me a Coke.
Re:The code name (Score:5, Funny)
TREBEK: I'm sorry, that's "Japan US Relations." That's just awful and you know it.
Re:Wierd (Score:2, Funny)
I was there
To match my intellect
On national TV
Against an AI
Backed with a database
Both made by PhDs...
if this computer uses Google, (Score:2, Funny)
This is how it starts (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Is this what we really want? (Score:4, Funny)
Subjugated Human: What is my home?
Robot: That is the incorrect question. Please follow me to a "processing station".
Re:Leap Forward? (Score:5, Funny)
Well, at least a computer program will bother to RTFA.
Re:Leap Forward? (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Leap Forward? (Score:3, Funny)
Sure! From my handy-dandy English-to-Tech Manual-to-English translator:
According to precise how from unlikely sounding me hereto. Must needs question category name sewing needle rapprochement. Mucho lots of good knowling head phrases queryig well; show you macihine human texts swimmingly.
I have a prediction for the meet the contestant... (Score:3, Funny)
Except at the "meet the contestant" part, maybe, which by the way should be fascinating.
"So, computer, you're about two months old, and you grew up in IBM's labs, right?"
"Bite my shiny metal ass"
Re:This is how it starts (Score:5, Funny)
new objective: to win all human gameshows and use the prize money to buy off the entire planet instead.
I think Pinky and the Brain [wikipedia.org] already used that plot device.
Re:Wierd (Score:1, Funny)
Oh-oh-oh-oh
I was there to match my intellect on national TV
Against a plumber, oh, and an architect, both with a PHD
I was tense, I was nervous, I guess it just wasnt my night
Art Fleming gave the answers
Oh, but I couldnt get the questions right, -ight, -ight
I lost on jeopardy, baby (oooh)
I lost on jeopardy, baby (oooh)
Well, I knew I was in trouble now
My hope of winning sank
Oh, cause I got the daily double now
And then my mind went blank
I took potpourri for one hundred
And then my head started to spin
Well, I'm givin' up
Don Pardo: Just tell me now what I didnt win, yeah, yeah
I lost on jeopardy, baby (oooh)
I lost on jeopardy, baby (oooh)
Thats right, Al--you lost.
And let me tell you what you didnt win: a twenty volume set of the encyclopedia international, a case of turtle wax, and a years supply of rice-a-roni, the San Francisco treat.
But that's not all.
You also made yourself look like a jerk in front of millions of people.
You brought shame and disgrace to your family name for generations to come.
You dont get to back tomorrow.
You dont even get a lousy copy of our home game.
You're a complete loser!
Don't know what I was thinkin of
I guess I just wasnt too bright
Well, I sure hope I do better
Next weekend on the price is right, -ight, -ight
I lost on jeopardy, baby (oooh)
I lost on jeopardy, baby (oooh)
I lost on jeopardy, baby
Re:Past Jeopardy questions (Score:2, Funny)
Um... hello? Jeopardy is a trivia game show.
j/k
Re:Great... more phone-bots (Score:4, Funny)
Why employ real people when you can annoy the hell out of everyone who calls in by subjecting them to yet another tier of phone-bots.
Or reverse it:
1) Use on telemarketers that call you. ...
2) Record
3)
4) Profit
game show is gonna be a real wopper (Score:3, Funny)
Mr. Trebek, would you like to play a game?
Re:This is how it starts (Score:3, Funny)
I'll take The Rapists for $300 (Score:4, Funny)
That's "Therapists"
Re:The code name (Score:5, Funny)
Alex Trebek: That's An album cover, not anal bum cover.
IBM: I can read, Trebek. That says Anal bum cover. I've spent five years of my life trying to invent an anal bum cover, failing to do so is my greatest regret
Re:Leap Forward? (Score:2, Funny)
*You* might not, but us 5-digiters do. Mwahahahahah.
What is... be really old?
That's why IBM didn't buy Sun . . . (Score:4, Funny)
They had to make some tough investment decisions: Either buy Sun, or build a Jeopardy playing supercomputer, but not both.
I'm sure that the machine's performance in Final Jeopardy will awe us sufficiently, and IBM's management will be exonerated from walking away from Sun.
IBM: "Hey, Larry Ellison! Have fun in your toy sailboat! Call us when your database and hardware synergies can compete with us in pre-prime time light entertainment game shows!"
Rumor has it that HP is working on a massively parallel Intel supercomputer that can calculate the strategic advantage of bidding one dollar ($1) on "The Price is Right."
Re:Leap Forward? (Score:4, Funny)
Sounds like they're guaranteed to win. The human contestants won't be given the questions at all :(
Re:Leap Forward? (Score:2, Funny)
Head to head with IBM (Score:3, Funny)
We were about even going into final Jeopardy when he stubbornly refused to offer any question for the answer "Smartest ever computer in the movies". I got it right (HAL) and took the prize.
Re:Mod parent up (Score:2, Funny)
IBM better win or else... (Score:2, Funny)
I heard if IBM doesn't win, they will lay off 10,000 employees.
15,000 if it does win.