IBM and the Watson Burrito: A Semi Classic from Armonk

May 13, 2015

A podcaster used the phrase “emotional burrito.” I liked the connotation. IBM has crafted a burrito recipe. I by chance saw a link to a story about the IBM Watson burrito. “IBM’s Watson Designed The Worst Burrito I’ve Ever Had” explains a recipe generated by IBM’s smart system. Keep in mind that Watson is now helping physicians treat cancer.

According to the article:

you zest a whole orange into a skillet of ground beef with a pinch of cinnamon. You puree some plain edamame as a sort of salsa. And you reduce apricot puree, vanilla bean, and dark chocolate to create a sauce. Then you top off this mixture with some cotija cheese. Well that’s what the recipe said. Then I noticed an asterisk. Apparently Watson had originally suggested cheese curds, while the human chef in charge of this recipe, ICE Creative Director Michael Laiskonis, had opted for a more traditional cotija cheese. I figured, when one of the smartest AI engines on the planet tells you to eat more cheese curds, you eat more cheese curds. So I opted for cheese curds.

The author a cooking wizard followed IBM’s recipe. The author says:

I prepared to roll $32 worth of groceries into a warm tortilla shell, I doubled my pour of sake, and soldiered on following General Watson to burrito town.

So how did this discovery by Watson work out?

My meal wasn’t good. In fact, it was pretty bad. If I’d made this for my family, I’d apologize and suggest we order a pizza.

I get my burritos at the lone semi-authentic restaurant in Harrod’s Creek. I think the chef microwaves burritos from Kroger. They are at least burritos. IBM’s PR department is not reassuring me about Watson’s open source code, home brew scripts, and software from acquired companies.

My concern with the Watson burrito is a question, “What happens if Watson’s cancer treatment is like this chocolate, edamame apricot salsa, and cheese burrito?”

Do the docs and nurses order a pizza? Hold the apricots.

Stephen E Arnold, May 13, 2015

Written by Stephen E. Arnold · Filed Under AI, Marketing, News

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Stephen E. Arnold monitors search, content processing, text mining and related topics from his high-tech nerve center in rural Kentucky. He tries to winnow the goose feathers from the giblets. He works with colleagues worldwide to make this Web log useful to those who want to go "beyond search". Contact him at sa [at] arnoldit.com. His Web site with additional information about search is arnoldit.com.