Published on 10/26/2016 | Technology
World of Watson continues today with a keynote speech from IBM Chairman, President and CEO, Ginni Rometty.
“In five years, there is no doubt in my mind that cognitive computing will impact every decision. Bringing cognitive capabilities to digital business will change the way we work and help solve the world’s biggest problems."
In the last five years GM have seen more change than in the last fifty. Mary Barra walked us through the four major areas that have evolved for General Motors:
• Connectivity: 20 years ago GM led with OnStar, focusing on safety. If your airbag deployed it would automatically contact the emergency services to assist you.
• Electrification: General Motors created the first generation electric car, the Chevrolet Gold. And in most recent years have focused on removing range anxiety and making electric transport more affordable, and available for everyone.
• Autonomy: GM are focusing on learning and training autonomous vehicles, so they know how to deal with a range of situations and scenarios.
• Sharing: They are also focused on adding value for consumers. With a focus on Lyft and Maven, they are leading the way with ride sharing and car sharing.
All these trend are converging to redefine the auto industry. Focusing on safety, congestion, and environmental issues – changing the way people get from point A to point B.
Keeping up with these trends, IBM and General Motors announced a partnership to bring the power of OnStar and IBM Watson together to create OnStar Go, the car industry’s first cognitive mobility platform.
From early 2017, OnStar will give millions of GM drivers the ability to connect and interact with their favorite brands. You can order your favourite seasonal coffee on the go, text safely, or pre-pay for petrol. The platform delivers personalized content through the dashboard to make the most of time spent in the car.
John B. King, Jr., United States Department of Education spoke of the success and goals of the US Department of Education, and the need for long term partnerships with IBM, and other companies.
They introduced the Watson Teacher Advisor, a new education tool that will be available for all teachers by the end of the year. Designed to use Watson as an individual and personalized coach for teachers, Watson Teacher Advisor knows the best lessons and teacher strategies, and responds to the teacher’s needs.
“Individualizing education is a challenge, and a teaching advisor is a great resource – how do I teach a class with students of different levels and abilities? Watson helps better match the materials to the class. The technology supports, but doesn’t replace teachers.”
Watson Teacher Advisor adds the ability to meaningfully personalize education. And because Watson learns there’s potential to increase the knowledge base of teachers. As feedback comes the materials are improved and the next teacher will get even more insight.
“With 200 millions lives in our hands, Watson is needed to manage our big data.” Prof. Yitzhak Peterburg, Teva Pharmaceutical.
Teva Pharmaceutical joined Ginni on stage to announce a significant expansion of their existing global e-Health alliance. Focusing on two key healthcare challenges: discovering new treatment options and improving chronic disease management, both projects will utilise the IBM Watson Health Cloud.
This post was originally published on IBM's IoT blog, by Lynne Slowey. Twitter: @lynslow
