IBM Demo: Debating Watson
June 29, 2018
IBM once again displays its AI chops—SFGate reports, “IBM Computer Proves Formidable Against 2 Human Debaters.” The project, dubbed Project Debater, shows off the tech’s improvements in mimicking human-like speech and reasoning. At a recent demonstration, neither the AI nor the two humans knew the topics beforehand: space exploration and telemedicine. According to one of the human participants, the AI held its own pretty well, even if it did rely too much on blanket statements. Writer Matt O’brien says this about IBM’s approach:
“Rather than just scanning a giant trove of data in search of factoids, IBM’s latest project taps into several more complex branches of AI. Search engine algorithms used by Google and Microsoft’s Bing use similar technology to digest and summarize written content and compose new paragraphs. Voice assistants such as Amazon’s Alexa rely on listening comprehension to answer questions posed by people. Google recently demonstrated an eerily human-like voice assistant that can call hair salons or restaurants to make appointments…But IBM says it’s breaking new ground by creating a system that tackles deeper human practices of rhetoric and analysis, and how they’re used to discuss big questions whose answers aren’t always clear. ‘If you think of the rules of debate, they’re far more open-ended than the rules of a board game,’ said Ranit Aharonov, who manages the debater project.
The demo did not declare any “winner” in the debate, but researchers were able to draw some (perhaps obvious) conclusions: While the software was better at recalling specific facts and statistics to bolster its arguments, humans brought more linguistic flair and the power of personal experience to the field. As for potential applications of this technology, IBM’s VP of research suggests it could be used by human workers to better inform their decisions. Lawyers, specifically, were mentioned.
Keep in mind. Demo.
Cynthia Murrell, June 29, 2018
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