And after a rocky start, Wolfram Alpha has started to find its way. People searching sorta “get” it now, asking more specific questions and not expecting Google-like results, and the computer answering also sorta “gets” people, being able to narrow down what is computable information in the questions people ask. Wolfram Alpha’s system needs to continue to improve to be more than an insanely powerful calculator but Wolfram knows that even if it eventually reaches his lofty dreams, it won’t replace us:
“There was a time when we had to cut feathers to make our own pens. Gradually more levels of civilisation and automation happen, and this is another such layer,” he says. “What should happen is that you can build on to what is now automated and do the next level of stuff, where you need to add the human touch.”
Read the whole article at The Guardian. [Guardian]
Caesar Wong
Tuesday, February 15, 2011 at 1:03 PMWhat we need is a showdown between Watson and Wolfram.
Hass
Wednesday, February 16, 2011 at 2:31 PMHis pride and joy is mathematica. For people talking higher level mathematics, or who’s job involve complex mathematics (like engineers, mathematicians, chemists and physicists), wolfram means something to you. However, if derivatives, integrals, vectors, and trigonometric identities mean nothing to you, then yes, the software is more or less useless.
Personally, I have found the software extremely good, especially as a learning tool in uni; I can easily check my answers, with the software often being able to show how it arrived at the correct answer (the steps), or at least how a human would. In a word: fantastic.
I love wolfram, but google wins out in everyday applications. Apples and oranges.