Charles W. Kim, Managing Editor
Just when it looked like computers might take over the planet, in Jeopardy! At least, U.S. Rush Holt (D-12) showed humans could hold their own against the machine.
In an exhibition match-up against Watson in Washington D.C. Feb. 28, Mr. Holt outscored his electronic opponent $8,600 to $6,200, according to a press release from the congressman’s office Tuesday.
”I was proud to hold my own with Watson,” Holt said in the release. “More importantly, I was proud to join IBM and other members of Congress to highlight the importance of science and math education and research and development. While it was fun to out-do Watson for one night in trivia; it is vital that, as a nation, we out-innovate, out-educate, and out-build the rest of the world for generations to come.”
Recently Watson, a computer designed by IBM to compete with humans in the popular trivia game Jeopardy!, defeated two of the games all-time champions in during a three-day televised competition.
IBM has worked on the project for more than four years to develop a system that can understand and answer questions in natural language, according to the corporation’s website.
”The practice match with Watson and Congressional members tonight is more than a trivia contest,” Christopher Padilla, Vice President, IBM Governmental Programs. “The technology behind Watson represents a major advancement in computing. In the data intensive environment of government, this type of technology can help organizations make better decisions and improve how government helps its citizens.”
Mr. Holt, 62, holds a doctorate in physics from New York University and served as an assistant director of the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory at Princeton University before turning to politics in 1998, according to a biography on Holt’s government website.
Mr. Holt said he appeared on the game show 30 years ago, and was a bit apprehensive facing off against Watson.
”Although Watson was just a little Atari when I was on the show three decades ago, he’s grown up and I’m slower than I was back then,” Holt said in a post on his Facebook page before the match.

