New competitor for travel agents: IBM’s Watson computer
Heads up, travel agents. There’s a new competitor on the scene, and his name is Watson.
IBM last week opened its famous Watson computer, the one that won the TV show Jeopardy, to software developers, encouraging them to build new applications in new industries.
IBM described the IBM Watson Developers Cloud as "a cloud-hosted marketplace where application providers of all sizes and industries will be able to tap into resources for developing Watson-powered apps."
Part of the process is teaching Watson what it needs to know about your industry and customers, allowing it (him? her?) to "ingest" articles and product literature and blogs, so it can learn the unique language of your field, IBM said.
Once Watson had learned all about your industry, IBM said, "a consumer-oriented application could deliver a personalized guided selling experience online that can replicate the best in-store experience.
"Or, an airline could create virtual travel agents able to recommend the perfect destination tailored to the user’s unique needs."
Cheryl
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