How powerful is your app? Can it understand natural language? It might soon enough for a few lucky developers selected to incorporate IBM's Watson technology into their apps.
During a keynote presentation at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, IBM chief Ginni Rometty announced the IBM Watson Mobile Developer Challenge, a contest that calls on developers to submit their best ideas for how to leverage Watson's talents.
Ultimately, three winning teams will be selected to receive IBM mentoring support and sandbox access to build the next Watson-powered app and bring it to market.
?wmode=transparent"The power of Watson in the palm of your hand is a game-changing proposition, so we're calling on mobile developers around the world to start building cognitive computing apps infused with Watson's intelligence," Mike Rhodin, senior vice president of the IBM Watson Group, said in a statement." Imagine a new class of apps that deliver deep insights to consumers and business users instantly — wherever they are — over the cloud. It's about changing the essence of decision making from 'information at your fingertips' to actual insights."
The challenge is part of IBM's newly formed Watson Group, which is getting a cool $1 billion investment from the computing pioneer; $100 million will specifically be for software apps. From their new headquarters at 51 Astor Place in New York City's "Silicon Alley," the 2,000-strong Watson team is tasked with taking Watson mainstream in the fields of healthcare, financial services, retail, travel, and telecom.
Proposals are due by March 31 and by April 28, IBM will select 25 finalists who will receive access to Watson APIs to build working prototypes. The top five finalists from that round will then pitch their concepts to a panel of IBM judges in a live session, and the final three will be announced on May 31.
Who should apply? "The IBM Watson Mobile Developer Challenge is open to companies who have mobile developers who want to create a unique mobile app or experience that is powered by Watson," IBM said. "Applicants, if selected as finalists, should be prepared and equipped to develop a working prototype and pitch their concept to the IBM judges."
It's free to enter the contest, though IBM warned that applicants "should be prepared and financially equipped to develop a working prototype if selected."
According to IBM, more than 1,500 individuals and organizations have already contacted IBM with ideas about how they could integrate Watson into their products and services.
Registration for the challenge will be opening soon on the IBM website.
For more, check out Beyond Jeopardy: Watson Up Close, as well as our MWC wrapup in the video below.