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[ontolog-forum] IBM Watson's Final Jeopardy error "explanation"

To: "[ontolog-forum]" <ontolog-forum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
From: "doug foxvog" <doug@xxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Wed, 16 Feb 2011 10:37:21 -0500 (EST)
Message-id: <54767.71.192.24.175.1297870641.squirrel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Question answering by a machine such as Watson is not very useful unless
the system can explain its answers.  Thus i am disappointed that IBM's
"explanation" of its error in Final Jeopardy does not explain why it
chose its answer.    (01)

On Tue, February 15, 2011 21:19, ZENG, MARCIA said:
> FYI:
> Watson's Final Jeopardy Blunder In Day 2 Of IBM Challenge was updated:
>
> UPDATE: IBM posted this explanation for the mistake on its "Smarter
> Planet" blog....
>
> http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/15/watson-final-jeopardy_n_823795.html    (02)

This explanation is little more than "Jeopardy is hard":
* Category names are tricky and their significance is downgraded.
* There are cities named Toronto in the US
* Toronto, Ontario, has an American League baseball team.    (03)

This does not explain why "Toronto" was selected as a response.    (04)


In the IBM ads accompanying the show, they discuss Watson being used
for diagnosis -- not just for pointing out information that a doctor
may want to look at for a case.  However, without explanation for
a diagnosis -- or even for a recommendation for reviewing some paper,
such use seems quite improper.    (05)

-- doug foxvog    (06)

> On 2/15/11 8:18 PM, "John F. Sowa" <sowa@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> On 2/15/2011 4:24 PM, Jerry Hobbs wrote:
>> Actually I think the question asked for an "anatomical anomaly",
>> which could be a body part, like a sixth toe, rather than a disability.
>> The text Watson used referred to the athlete's "wooden leg".
>
> I agree.  It found the anomaly, but it made an error in not explaining
> that it was an anomaly.  So it should at least get partial credit.
>
> On tonight's round, Watson did very well.  But it made a category
> error for which there was no excuse.
>
> The category was US Cities, and all three contestants were given
> 30 seconds to write their answers and the amount they were willing
> to bet.
>
> Question:  A city whose largest airport is the name of a war hero
> and whose second largest airport is the name of a WW II battle.
>
> Both humans got the answer right -- Chicago -- and they bet
> the maximum or almost the maximum.
>
> That was tricky because Midway Airport happens to be the
> name of a battle, but it was not named for the battle.
>
> But Watson wrote Toronto and bet $947 (which was a small
> amount, indicating that it wasn't sure).
>
> But the category was "US Cities".  It certainly should
> have checked.
>
> John
>
>
>
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=============================================================
doug foxvog    doug@xxxxxxxxxx   http://ProgressiveAustin.org    (08)

"I speak as an American to the leaders of my own nation. The great
initiative in this war is ours. The initiative to stop it must be ours."
    - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
=============================================================    (09)


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