Immunotherapy is an approach that uses the immune system to fight diseases, unlike chemotherapy, which kills cancer cells. Immunotherapy works on cells in the immune system to combat cancer. Dario Gil, director of symbiotic cognitive systems at IBM Research, holds a remote control wand while giving a demonstration of the IBM Watson immersion room during an event at the company's headquarters in New York Oct. 7, 2014. By partnering with IBM's Watson for Drug Discovery, Pfizer hopes to more quickly analyze and test hypotheses from "massive volumes of disparate data sources" that include more than 30 million sources of laboratory and data reports as well as medical literature. Watson will also be able to combine such a massive database with Pfizer's own proprietary research information.

IBM companies Watson Health and Merge Healthcare unveiled several new machine learning and artificial intelligence technologies for imaging at the RSNA Annual meeting in Chicago this week. Big Blue also showcased new advancements in how Watson technology can learn and gain understanding from image information, which researchers say now accounts for some 90 percent of all medical data. IBM has taken a keen insight in applying Watson's supercomputing capabilities to imaging – especially since its 2015 acquisition of Merge. Big Blue, in fact, is developing numerous tools to help automate analytics, enabling cross-reference X-rays, MRIs and other images against electronic health record data, lab results, genomic tests and more. At RSNA, Watson Health is showcasing: a cognitive peer review tool aimed at reconciling differences between a patient's clinical evidence and data in his or her EHR; a data summarization tool meant to give radiologists, cardiologists and others patient-specific clinical information when they're interpreting imaging studies; a decision support tool to enable physicians to integrate imaging data with other clinical information; the new MedyMatch "Brain Bleed" App, a cognitive image review tool intended to help ER docs diagnose strokes or brain bleed in trauma patients based on evidence in their patient records.

There is plenty of growing evidence that market leaders are making Artificial Intelligence (AI) a top strategic priority and already seeing results. Most business leaders that have rolled our cognitive solutions expect to continue seeing tangible results, and gain a competitive advantage over the next few decades. The five most valuable companies in the United States by market capitalization (Apple, Alphabet/Google, Microsoft, Amazon and Facebook) focus heavily on AI within their research efforts and business models. The five most valuable companies in the United States by market capitalization (Apple, Alphabet/Google, Microsoft, Amazon and Facebook) focus heavily on AI within their research efforts and business models. A newly published IBM study found that the majority (58%) of early adopters of AI (and the cognitive systems that use AI capabilities) believe that these new technologies are "must haves" to remain competitive within the next few years.

The Mill created a massive real-time data art installation built from the computation analysis of pop music, social media and news media by IBM's Watson. Natural language and musical compositions were assigned emotional values by Watson which we then translated into immersive visualizations that could be navigated by time, emotion and genre. Intricate color coding of the visuals was based on a five color palette, one each for joy, anger, disgust, sadness, and fear. Follow @Millchannel on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram for more updates.

Last week I attended IBM (IBM) World of Watson as both a speaker and an attendee, and today as I sit in my neighborhood Starbucks (SBUX) thinking about everything, all I can say is WOW! This was one of the most interesting, inspiring and amazing events I have ever attended. And we are still in the very early stages of Watson, Cognitive and AI. I invite you to follow me as I learn more and write more about the wonderful world of Watson, all the companies that work with it and how it will change our industries, our businesses and our lives. As a wireless analyst and columnist, I come at this world of Watson from the wireless, telecom, internet and television angle.

People say there's a first for everything. A few weeks ago, I attended my first big tech conference, the IBM Watson Developer's Conference. For many, it may not be a big deal, but it sure was for me. I represented a real organization, got an attendee badge to prove it, and even missed a day of my senior year of high school. AOL #BUILTBYGIRLS, a platform encouraging girls to be builders and creators in our tech-enabled economy, offered me the opportunity to serve as its ambassador. My mission was to learn about up and coming IBM Watson technology, promote #BUILTBYGIRLS, and advocate for girls to take their place in the tech world.

IBM ibm says it is trying to make it a little easier for its American workers to find the best cancer treatments. Beginning in January 2017, IBM employees in the U.S. will be able to use Watson supercomputer technology to help find the most effective oncology drugs and clinical trials for their specific cancers, IBM announced. "For anyone receiving the diagnosis, or supporting a loved one through it, cancer can be overwhelming," Kyu Rhee, MD, chief health officer, IBM Watson Health, said in the release, adding, "With this first-ever U.S. rollout of the technology, the full breadth and depth of Watson's services can benefit an entire population of individuals who need them." It's unclear just how much of IBM's workforce will receive the benefits (the firm has 377,000 employees worldwide, although it doesn't specify how many are in the U.S.) but the company says that many of the services will be covered by several of its American health plans. IBM's push into health care has been defined by its data-driven approach, especially when it comes to cancer.

A recent spate of potent anti-tumor drugs, from ones that target cancers like smart bombs to ones that work with the body's immune system, have excited cancer doctors. But one fact has tempered their enthusiasm; given enough time, most cancers find a way to become resistant to the drugs, rendering them powerless and causing patients to relapse. The danger is that these doctors will have nothing more to throw at the disease. Researchers at the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT are hoping to solve that problem by teaming up with IBM Watson Health to find answers that only reams of data can provide. The mission is to sequence the genomes of tumors from thousands of patients who have different kinds of cancer--first when they are diagnosed, then again when they stop responding to drugs that initially worked in controlling their disease. The data will allow scientists to find patterns of genetic changes in the tumors that might signal resistance and help them identify people who are at higher risk of developing resistance early on.

The utopia of driverless cars may still be out of reach, but General Motors wants to ensure that today's vehicles provide a unique or individual experience. The carmaker has partnered with IBM to develop what GM calls a "cognitive mobility platform" that will deliver personalized content while on the road. The partnership brings together GM's connected vehicle system OnStar with IBM's learning supercomputer Watson in the form of a platform called OnStar Go. According to a press release, OnStar Go is the auto industry's first such cognitive computing platform and will give drivers the opportunity to connect or interact with their favored brands while behind the wheel. Or to put it another way, the platform will make sure the driver makes the most of her or his time in the car. "Combining OnStar's industry leading vehicle connectivity and data capabilities with IBM Watson APIs will create experiences that allow drivers and passengers to achieve greater levels of efficiency and safety," said General Motors.