IBM’s Watson supercomputer labelled a "sea change" for computing
A talkative computer which can understand and respond to spoken commands is being touted as the biggest advancement in computing for decades.
Known as Watson the machine is thus far best known as a champion Jeopardy player, seeing off the finest competitors humanity has to offer.
IBM researchers however believe that this ability has the potential to transform the world, introducing abilities such as conversation and data organisation that were previously the preserve of humans.
Richard Doherty, research director at Envisioneering Group, said: "I would say it's the largest computing advance of this century. I've been in computing since 1973 and followed technology before that, and this is the largest advancement in decades.
“This isn't an iPad. To reach [a computer] conversationally and have it respond with knowledgeable answers is a sea change in computing."
Ultimately IBM is intent on mimicking human intelligence, a goal toward which Watson represents a significant step forward.