IBM’s supercomputer Watson, famous for winning Jeopardy in 2011, is struggling to find a place in the business world. Despite a $1 billion investment to establish a new division for Watson, the technology has failed to generate significant revenue. Watson’s capabilities, while impressive, are too complex for most businesses to utilise effectively. The system requires a huge amount of tailored data to function, making it difficult to adapt to various industries. Watson’s high cost is another deterrent, with initial setup fees reaching millions of dollars.
In healthcare, where Watson was expected to excel, the system has not lived up to expectations. Medical professionals have found it difficult to integrate Watson into their workflows due to the time-consuming data input process. Watson’s ability to understand natural language, a key selling point, has also been challenged by the complex and nuanced language of medicine.
IBM’s efforts to commercialise Watson have been met with limited success. While the company has formed partnerships with several organisations, these have not resulted in significant financial gains. IBM remains optimistic about Watson’s potential, but the system’s future in the business world remains uncertain.
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