IBM Watson Challenge: European AI Innovation Yields Global Winners

There has been a lot of hand-wringing in certain circles that European businesses are not exploiting advanced technologies such as AI anything like as well as US or Chinese companies. It is true we haven't (yet) spawned global giants like Google or Baidu. But O think there's a more nuanced reality. Back in November 2018, I was delighted to be invited by IBM to be a judge at its European IBM Watson Challenge event. This was a "Dragon's Den" style event where 32 IBM business partners (from an initial submission of 155 prototypes) were each invited to present an innovative AI-based business solution and associated business plan to a panel of judges (the Dragons!) over two, exhausting and intensive (but exhilarating) days.