IBM’s Watson landed a tie in the first round of Jeopardy’s man-vs.-machine challenge Monday night.
Watson, IBM’s supercomputer, and Brad Rutter each ended Day 1 with $5,000 in winnings, while Ken Jennings, the other human competitor, came out with $2,000.
Jennings — who had previously won 74 consecutive Jeopardy matches — defeated Watson in the practice match between the three players leading up to the three-round faceoff.
Round 2 is Tuesday night, and the final round airs Wednesday.
While Watson proved competitive, there were some missteps.
At one point during on Monday’s episode, Watson gave a wrong answer, saying “What is 1920s,” after Jennings had just given the same incorrect response.
Host Alex Trebek responded with “No, Ken already said that.”
Watson, named after IBM founder Thomas J. Watson, started off Monday’s episode in dominating fashion with $5,200 on the board by the first commercial break, while Rutter accumulated $1,000 and Jennings rung up $200.
The first night was a huge learning experience for the engineers who’ve spent years working on building Watson for this very match, said Steve Canepa, IBM’s general manager of global Media and the entertainment industry.
Full story: IBM’s Watson on Jeopardy: Round 1 ends in a tie | Technology | Los Angeles Times