15 examples of machine learning making established industries smarter

After winning 74 consecutive games and earning $3.3 million in prize money, he finally lost to his fiercest opponent -- a newcomer, no less, that went by a single name: Watson. Really, though, it was no contest. With four years of training and a huge research budget, Watson had been born for this moment. If a computer can be born, that is. Created by IBM to answer questions posed in natural language, Watson was initially designed to excel at Jeopardy! but after its win it began tackling other projects: assisting in the treatment of lung cancer patients at New York's Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center; conversing with kids via smart toys; teaming up with education company Pearson to tutor college students; even helping H&R Block customers file their taxes.