Cognitive computing is not brand new as IBM has been working to create chips that think like the human brain for some time. But during IBM Brazil’s December press lunch, the company’s local president, Rodrigo Kede, predicted that cognitive computing would be the next big, disruptive transformational technology. “The first one was tabulating; then, programming language and processing came along. Now it’s cognitive computing,” he said.
IBM has worked on several cognitive computing projects. Some might remember the computer “Watson” playing the “Jeopardy” quiz show. IBM claims that Watson ushered in a new era of computing. And now “Big Blue” seeks to use cognitive systems like Watson to transform how organizations think, act and operate. Learning through interaction, they deliver evidence-based responses, driving better outcomes.
As Kede explained, currently Watson is being adapted for corporate use. “It can be used for diagnosing diseases, since it can cross-analyze big data. It is in the process of becoming commercial available,” he said.
Among other examples, this kind of technology could be used to prevent bank fraud, anticipate disasters and help cities become “smarter.”
According to IBM, for more than half a century computers have been little better than calculators with storage structures and programmable memory, a model that scientists have continually aimed to improve. The principal of cognitive computing is to make computers think like humans.
“Every 30 or 40 years technology passes through a disruptive moment. Meanwhile, there are several innovations and improvements. Over the next five years, we will hear about technology in a completely different way,” Kede said.
Another IBM project is called Systems of Neuromorphic Adaptive Plastic Scalable Electronics (SyNAPSE). By reproducing the structure and architecture of the brain, the SyNAPSE project seeks to create computing systems that emulate the brain’s computing efficiency, size and power usage without being programmed.
The IBM cognitive computing initiative combines principles from nanoscience, neuroscience and supercomputing.
When asked about how cognitive computing will meet the needs of mobile and cloud computing, Kede explained that some mobile applications will have cognitive computing embedded, and Watson’s analytic tools will be even more present in cloud and mobile platforms. “Mobility is one channel that will have access to this predictive, analytic tool,” he said.
