Cartoon 838: The new Hal

A movie by Stanley A. Kubrick appeared in 1968. The movie was, “2001: A Space Odyssey”. It broke ground in several areas. First, it gave a none Christian suggestion for the origin of modern man. Second, it put forth man has a manifest destiny. Third, it featured an anthropomorphic machine named “HAL”. In fact the viewer criticism focused on the machine HAL. They felt he was more human than the human astronauts were. The astronauts appeared like unemotional robots, even during dire circumstances.

Computers today are processors. They manipulate discrete bits based on predefined algorithms. They do not dynamically reconfigure their algorithms in any significant way and therefore are not imaginative. In other words, they will not likely add 2 + 2 and somehow come up with 63. A human might with a flash of insight.

The super computer called “Watson” is not the fastest nor most capable super computer. Watson is really a computing approach. The approach can be implemented in other machines. This is what IBM is trying to sell. What makes Watson unique is the step toward an intelligent machine. A machine that can actually redefine its algorithms or “think”. This capability makes it ideal for non-linear activities. The type of work often performed by cognitive employees.

Immediate target professions will likely be doctors and lawyers. There are reams of information in both professions. The successful people in the professions are able to recall and make links to solve problems. Any business that has big data can be a target.

How safe is your job?