IBM: AI Eminence Throughout the Decades

1959 & 1967: First demonstration of machine learning in the game of checkers

Arthur Samuel coined the term machine learning when describing his checkers program. The program used a number of different methods for improving its level of play and reached strong amateur level.

1992: First demonstration of a neural network and reinforcement learning in a complex game (backgammon)

Gerry Tesauro developed a program, TD-Gammon, that taught itself to play world-class backgammon from scratch. This was foundational research that has led to many of the breakthroughs in deep reinforcement learning in the last five years.

1997: First computer to defeat world chess champion "Deep Blue"

IBM Scientists Campbell, Hoane & Hsu developed an IBM computer called Deep Blue that played and defeated the reigning world chess champion, Garry Kasparov, in 1997. In the earliest days of digital computers, the game of chess was posed as a grand challenge to test a computer's ability to take on more intellectual tasks that require 'intelligence' to play the game well.

IBM pursued this challenge using a mix of high performance computing and smart algorithms, and laid the groundwork for the resulting research and rapid pace of progress in AI in recent years, driven largely by the rise of deep learning and neural networks.

2011: First computer to defeat best human Jeopardy! players, IBM Watson

IBM scientists (Ferrucci et al.) debuted Watson, an AI system that incorporated facets of machine learning, deep question answering and natural language processing to play and, ultimately, beat the greatest human champions on Jeopardy!.

A seminal moment in AI, IBM demonstrated an AI system able to understand and precisely answer questions posed in natural language, with all of the latter’s complexity, nuance and ambiguity.

2015: Watson Health

Building on collaborations with leading healthcare organizations such as the Cleveland Clinic and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, in 2015 IBM launched the Watson Health business unit to focus on the development and implementation of cognitive and data-driven technologies to advance health.

Watson Health technologies are tackling a wide range of the world's biggest health care challenges, including cancer, diabetes, drug development and more

2018: Project Debater vs human professionals

Within a year of the Jeopardy! win, IBM researcher Noam Slonim in 2011 proposed an AI that could help people build persuasive arguments and make well-informed decisions. On June 18, 2018, Project Debater took on human debaters Noa Ovadia and Dan Zafrir in a closed door event with media.

On February 11, 2019, Project Debater debated Harish Natarajan, who holds the world record in number of debate competition victories, in front of live audience of around 800 people, with over a million more watching via livestream.