The IBM Watson A.I. XPRIZE competition is a contest that seeks to solve the world’s largest and most complex problems with artificial intelligence. Man and machine strike a deal to resolve humanity’s numerous and varied crises.
Together, technology and innovation have helped progress the human race into the industrial and digital age that exists today, and as a result, previously insurmountable problems have become more accessible and solvable. Despite the convenience and capability of today’s technologies, sometimes competition can incite a level of innovation and problem-solving ability that may otherwise remain dormant. XPRIZE has been fostering innovation for years, and they are not stopping.
XPRIZE competitions fulfill this function, and the foundation describes itself as, “...the global leader in designing and implementing innovative competition models to solve the world’s grandest challenges.” The XPRIZE Foundation’s competitions seek to benefit humanity as a whole by giving humanity, “...access to what was once scarce,” so that it can be “made abundant”. Usually, XPRIZE competitions are compartmentalized into categories like, “...clean water, access to quality healthcare, education and learning, safe and affordable housing, space exploration, food and nutrition, a sustainable planet and environment, personal safety and security.” Now, the XPRIZE Foundation has paired with IBM to form the IBM Watson A.I. XPRIZE competition, which is open to any and all of the aforementioned categories.
XPRIZE’s lead for this competition, Amir Banifatemi, said in a statement, "For the first time, we're not focusing on one technology. AI is encompassing almost everything,” so it seems that artificial intelligence enables these competitors to focus on the features of the problem to be solved, rather than on the construction of the technology. Hopefully, this freedom will allow participants to devise more effective solutions for the various global issues covered by the competition.
The IBM Watson A.I. XPRIZE competition is composed of 147 teams from 22 different countries, and these participants are vying for the top prizes which together add up to five million dollars. According to XPRIZE, the winner will earn three million dollars in prize money, the second place finisher will take home an even million dollars, and the third place team will receive $500,000. The remaining $500,000 of the five million dollar purse will be distributed in the form of two "milestone" prizes for teams between 2018 and 2019, in recognition of their special accomplishments.
Now... time to dust off the A.I. workbench...
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