Following on from yesterday's post, if you watched the Jeopardy Youtube video, you will have noticed that the presenter explained that it was necessary to provide the questions to Watson as text files, rather than have the computer just listen to them as they were read out like the other contestants.
You may also have noticed that the video is a few years old now. Reflecting on this, one thing that struck me yesterday was that in the Watson demonstration that we watched, the IBM'er did actually appear to be having a conversation with Watson. Now, I'm not sure whether this was staged or not, but it would be a pretty impressive step forward if Watson is now able to hold direct conversations (especially given all of the voice recognition challenges that come with that - I certainly struggled a little bit with the American IBM'er at times - a lot of things were 'cool' apparently!).
It makes me think of the famous "Turing Test" which is designed as a way to assess whether machines can be considered as 'intelligent' as we might define it as humans. Up to now, I presume that the Turing Test has always been conducted by typed questions and answers. Well, if Watson is at the stage (or if not, might soon get to the stage) where it can respond to spoken instruction/question, then presumably the test could be conducted by a telephone conversation, which would feel like a more natural 'discussion'. (Although I suppose the issue of a computer-generated voice might be a bit of a giveaway in determining whether the other participant was man or machine?! I'm sure there would be a way around that - if the computer's 'voice' doesn't sound natural enough, then the human voice could be made to sound a little more computer-like, to level the playing field.) If Watson was able to pass that test, then presumably a rather large segment of employment - namely call centres - could disappear overnight?
Anyway, as for today, this morning we went into Maidstone, had brunch at the Living Cafe, and Jake got some new clothes at Superdry. This afternoon we have been sorting out the wardrobe in the front spare bedroom, and it is now completely cleared out to make way for our temporary house guests who will be moving in next week. This evening we have been out with Carolyn and Chris to the Hengist in Aylesford. The company was great, but none of us was too sure about the food - it'll be interesting to see what Nicky's Trip Advisor review has to say on the subject.