The capabilities of IBM’s cognitive system platform, Watson, is endless. IBM is working on developing it as a service that it can sell. It runs on an Application Programming Interface (API) housed in the IBM Public Cloud where users can manipulate the code via system tools (Chafkin, 2016a). Artificial intelligence is just one of the fifty things that Watson can do. Machine learning, text-to-speech, speech-to-text, and different analytical engines are just some of Watson’s abilities. IBM does not make consumer devices, but rather creates Watson’s capabilities to be housed in a device made by another technology company.
One example of IBM creating capabilities is working with Medtronic to create a product that predicts hypoglycemic events in patients three hours in advance of the actual event (Chafkin, 2016a). Another healthcare application is in helping doctors detect cancer in patients that reside in rural areas where few doctors are accessible. Watson Oncology is being deployed in India where there are only 1,000 oncologists per billion people. This is delivering hope to patients that wouldn’t normally have access to cancer care. Great advances have been made in oncology. This has led to the increase in number of treatment options for patients. Watson can help mediate doctor’s ability to choose the best treatment for the patient the first time. CEO Ginni Rometty doesn’t care if people know that Watson is inside these devices. She’s confident that IBM’s cognitive platform will be able to compete with Apple’s Siri and Amazon’s Alexa (Walters, 2016). IBM is paving the way with Watson and its applications on personal assistants, healthcare, and everyday life.