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From AI Breakthrough to Implementation Reality
IBM Watson’s victory on Jeopardy! in 2011 made AI visible to the world and positioned IBM as a leader in cognitive computing. Soon after, IBM identified healthcare as the most promising domain for applying Watson’s capabilities, aiming to help clinicians make better, faster, and more evidence-based decisions.
This session examines IBM Watson Health as an early and ambitious attempt to translate AI breakthroughs into real organizational and market impact. Despite heavy investment, strong partnerships with leading medical institutions, and significant technical progress, Watson Health struggled to deliver on its bold promises in everyday clinical practice. Read the case below to prepare for a discussion on the challenges of deploying AI in complex enterprise settings.
Case: Challenges in Commercial Deployment of AI: Insights from The Rise and Fall of IBM Watson’s AI Medical SystemDownload Challenges in Commercial Deployment of AI: Insights from The Rise and Fall of IBM Watson’s AI Medical System
Now that you have read the case, consider the following case questions and bring your answers to class.
| Case Preparation Questions: 1. 1. What problem did IBM believe Watson could solve in healthcare, and why did it choose healthcare as the domain? 2. How did IBM envision Watson Health being used, and how well did this fit clinical workflows and accountability? 3. What prevented Watson Health from moving from vision to execution? 4. Given these challenges, what realistic role could Watson Health have played in healthcare? |