Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ) proved on Monday that man can still dominate machine — as long as that man is a trained rocket scientist and former five-day Jeopardy! champ.
Holt defeated IBM supercomputer “Watson” in a round of the game show. Take that, robot overlords!
Michael Symons of the Asbury Park Press reports:
Holt — who was a five-time Jeopardy! winner more than 30 years ago and joked midday that Watson was “just a little Atari” when he made his game-show splash - tweeted almost an hour ago about the experience: “I played a full round against @IBMWatson tonight and was proud to hold my own: the final tally was Holt $8,600, Watson $6,200.”Holt was joined in the game by Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut, who tweeted that he didn’t mind losing to a nuclear physicist and computer that famously defeated some of the TV game show’s top champs: “I seriously CANNOT believe that @rushholt beat @ibmwatson,” he wrote. Also playing: Reps. Bill Cassidy, Nan Hayworth and Jared Polis.
Holt’s office said he dominated in categories like “Presidential Rhyme Time” and “Also a Laundry Detergent,” according to the Los Angeles Times.
Watson beat Jeopardy! all-star Ken Jennings last month, in a televised showdown.
Jillian Rayfield
Jillian Rayfield is a Reporter/Blogger for TPM, and started as a News Intern in May 2009. She graduated from Cornell University in May 2008 with a degree in Film, and worked as a Research Assistant for a market research firm in London in between.