

Ask HN: What are the long-run implications of Watson's technology? - wesleyzhao

How are normal consumers going to see this type of technology (if at all) in the future? What are the possibilities?
======
pzxc
Natural language is an artifact of human communication, so the most obvious
application is human interaction. Eventually (who knows how long it will be),
you may be talking to a Watson descendant for most interactions with
businesses -- everything from requesting online help on a website to ordering
your cheeseburger at McDonald's.

"A Big Mac? Wouldn't you like a nice order of Global Thermonuclear War
instead?"

Like Ken Jennings and Kent Brokman, I too welcome our new (computer)
overlords. Bring it on, Skynet.

~~~
wesleyzhao
You see only an application for Businesses? I am really interested in seeing
what it could end up doing for the average household.

------
mindcrime
Take the Red pill, dude.

All joking aside, I think the long-term implications are closer to the
computer on Star Trek than to the Matrix or Skynet. Better natural language
understanding and information retrieval should make it easier to ask a
computer to find information for us and do tasks for us. I don't think any of
this has much to do with the computer become self-aware and deciding that it
should take control of mankind's future...

~~~
wesleyzhao
I really see this! Just basically an interactive Computer for the average Mom
who needs to know something. Home automation is the future.

------
motters
I doubt that there will be many, if any, implications. As a narrow AI system
Watson is unlikely to have wider applicability or scalability. It's the
classic dilemma of narrow AI.

People asked similar questions after the famous Kasparov defeat to Deep Blue.
That event did have implications for chess players, but not much beyond that.

~~~
wesleyzhao
I think its also a little narrow to think its just narrow AI. There is
definitely potential for Watson for the avg consumer.

