 |
|
|
|
IBM has developed a computer with the language skills and self-confidence to play TV quiz show Jeopardy.
The tech giant is still many years away from a computer that would be interested in watching a computer appear on Jeopardy.
The easy part of the project was teaching the computer English syntax and giving it the ability to determine the chances that its answer would be correct. The hard part was getting it to remember to start each answer with “What is”.
Interest in computers playing games peaked in 1997 when an IBM computer beat world chess champion Garry Kasparov. The technology was adapted in 2005 to allow the Russian government to also beat Mr Kasparov.
While computers have historically been excluded from game shows, pioneering television programmes such as Perfect Match and Now You See It did at least have robots as co-hosts.
The current downturn means that television producers are anxious to cut game show costs: by replacing some contestants with computers, shows can dramatically increase contestant productivity. The next step is employing low-cost Indian workers as contestants, a strategy pioneered on the hit game show Slumdog Millionaire.
IBM says that based on what it has learned on Jeopardy, it will be able to develop a computer that can play Deal or No Deal, also known as a random number generator.
But, despite recent advances, researchers concede that there may never be a computer capable of winning So You Think You Can Dance.
A 1998 Sale of the Century computer calculates whether it should buy something from the Gift Shop.
