I for one welcome our new computer overlords.
Having been dominated over the course of three days by IBM supercomputer Watson, venerable Jeopardy legend Ken Jennings could hold tip his hat in defeat.
Ken and fellow champ Brad Rutter rallied a formidable defense, but in the end, the humans were no match. Ken’s aside in his final Jeopardy answer said it all:
Despite occasionally mispronouncing names and wagering absurd amounts such as $2,127 on a Daily Double, Watson still amassed a mammoth $77,147.
Jennings took second place at $24,000 and Rutter was third with $21,600.
The three-night Jeopardy event was taped at IBM’s T. J. Watson Research Laboratory in Yorktown Heights, N.Y., with a $1.5 million pot on the line.
As victor, Watson earned $1 million, which IBM plans to donate to World Vision and World Community Grid. Ken and Brad will also donate to charity.
Nice try, guys, but this is what the future apparently looks like …
DOOMED: We’re all out of a job in a few years it looks like.