[Web4lib] Watson - IBM's "question-answering" machine (potential implications for libraries?)

Robert Balliot rballiot at gmail.com
Mon Feb 7 19:59:18 EST 2011


 So, if AI is represented by having tremendous knowledge, how is that any
different from being Marvin?   How is that any different from being an
encyclopedia?

The depression and irony of Marvin the
robot<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxp1AqWleT4>is having  tremendous
knowledge without imagination, without inspiration.

Imagine having a brain the size of a planet.  That is because you can
*imagine*.

R. Balliot
http://oceanstatelibrarian.com/contact.htm





On Mon, Feb 7, 2011 at 11:38 AM, Thomas Dowling <tdowling at ohiolink.edu>wrote:

> On 02/07/2011 10:59 AM, Thomas Bennett wrote:
> >
>
> >
> > So, I wonder what question Watson would associate with the answer 42.
>
> "How many roads must a man walk down?", obviously.  Sounds meaningful
> without actually committing us to anything.
>
> I expect the future Watson will sit around the library's staff lounge,
> complaining, "Here I am, brain the size of a planet, and they ask me
> 'Where's the bathroom?'  Call that job satisfaction?  'Cause I don't."
>
>
> --
> Thomas ("All roads lead to THHGttG") Dowling
> tdowling at ohiolink.edu
>
>
>
>
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