Universities, IBM join forces to build a brain-like computer

IBM and four universities are planning a research project into cognitive computing, which seeks to build computers that operate in a manner closer to the human mind. The goal is to create systems that extend well beyond Watson, IBM's computer that famously competed on the trivia game show Jeopardy and defeated two former champions, IBM said in a news release. The project will be undertaken with Carnegie Mellon University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, New York University and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, IBM said. IBM linked the research with "big data," the term for using computers in new ways to process large volumes of structured and unstructured data in order to make it more accessible and useful. Topics to be explored include how applications can boost group decision making, how processing power and algorithms apply to artificial intelligence, how systems should be designed for more natural interaction and how deep learning impacts automated pattern recognition in science.