Supercomputer Watson Becomes a Chef

It seems that Watson, the supercomputer that rapidly competed as a non-controlled contestant on Jeopardy! in 2011, has been taking some culinary classes. Teaming up with the Institute of Culinary Education in New York, IBM has tweaked the software in order to create the world’s best sous-chef—one that can generate one-of-a-kind recipes such as Swiss-Thai asparagus quiche and Austrian chocolate burrito. “The goal is to help chefs figure out combinations they would not have thought about,” an IBM researcher told NPR. “The computer can go through trillions and quadrillions of possibilities.” Its dishes were tested at a tech conference in L.A., where it was wildly successful. Watson’s next stop? South By Southwest in Austin, Texas.