CHAPTER 1 - Computer Beats Champs

Reading Comprehension - Check Your Understanding

A. Choose the correct answers for the following questions.

1. Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter played a special game against a ______
A) man
B) researcher
C) computer

2. Watson used ______ to answer the questions.
A) feelings
B) paper
C) math

3. Watson made a mistake because it thought the question was about cities in ______
A) the U.S.
B) Canada
C) America

4. The money the players won in the game went to ______
A) charity
B) Jeopardy!
C) Watson

B. In which paragraph (1-5) of the passage can you find the following information? Write the number. You may use any number more than once.

1. Watson is a machine that uses math to answer questions.
2. Watson sometimes gets confused.
3. Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter are Jeopardy! champions.
4. Watson won, but everyone received money.
5. Watson makes decisions in a different way from humans.

C. Discuss the following questions with a partner.

1. Watson beat two very smart men. Why do you think Watson won?
   Answer

   Students could point out that Watson has a memory bank equivalent to a million books of information.

2. Which is smarter: humans or machines? Why do you think so?
   Answer

   Students may note good/bad points of both: the computer has a bigger memory bank but is unable to listen to its opponents’ answers, while humans can use logic as well as their instincts, emotions, and feelings to answer questions even when they are not sure.

Computer Beats Champs

In 2011, on the popular American TV quiz show, Jeopardy!, two champions competed against a brand new opponent. Both Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter had won millions of dollars on Jeopardy! Jennings once won 74 games in a row, the most in ever. Then Rutter beat him in a tournament and set a new record for the most money won on Jeopardy! Their new opponent, Watson, had never appeared on the game show and had only played practice games before, in which he often got answers wrong.

However, Watson isn't human. He, or rather it, is a machine, a wonder of technology made by researchers at IBM. In the game, Watson used math to decide on an answer. When a question was read out, Watson was immediately given the same question in electronic form. It analyzed the question and searched its memory bank-about the same as one million books of information-for possible answers. It then narrowed the options down to one answer. If Watson felt around 75 percent confident about the answer, it would answer the question.

The way Watson thinks is very different from the way humans think. People often make decisions by listening to their emotions and feelings, even if they are unsure of the answer. As a computer, Watson couldn't do this. People also watch and listen to those around them. Watson was not able to "listen" to the wrong answers given by his competitors. In one question, Jennings answered the question incorrectly and Watson later answered with the same wrong answer.

Watson also made silly mistakes. In a question in the category U.S. Cities, Watson incorrectly answered Toronto, even though the city of Toronto is in Canada. An IBM researcher said Watson got confused because it saw in its memory bank that the U.S. is often called America. Toronto is considered a North American city, so that was the answer that Watson gave.

Still, Watson defeated his human opponents somewhat easily and received the $1 million prize. The other players also won money for participating in the special game. Everyone left the game happy, as each player was earning money for a different charity.