Okay, let’s talk about Computer Watson which beat two champions of Jeopardy earlier this month. What is remarkable about Jeopardy and Watson is that Watson is able to understand the questions the person asks and is able to respond with natural voice. The enormous capacity for memory and information processing has been known, but the capability to understand the human voice is quite amazing.
In addition, I was struck by the comment that with advancement of this type of capability, many answering service and transactions over the phone now done by people will be at risk. In a way, it is a great news as people are now free from the semi-routine handling of transactions so that they can concentrate on thinking and problem solving. At the same time, the incident reminded me of the conversation I had with the executive of the IT company several days before. He was concerned that human behavior and thinking may not be able to catch up with the technology and we may explode/implode as the technological capability goes beyond our undertanding and capability. I am optimistic that somehow we figure out the way to make it work, though there will be chaotic and confusing periods until then.
Yoko Ishikura is a Professor at Hitotsubashi University ICS in the Graduate School of International Corporate Strategy in Japan. She has held positions as a professor at the School of International Politics, Economics and Business of Aoyama Gakuin University in Tokyo, as a consultant at McKinsey and Company Inc. Japan and a visiting professor at Darden School.
Professor Ishikura is a consultant to a number of multinational companies and has been a frequent speaker at management conferences, seminars, and workshops throughout the world. She was a member of the Regulatory Reform Committee for the Japanese government and the International Competitiveness Commission for METI. She is currently a Forum Fellow of the World Economic Forum.
She is the author of Strategic Shift from OR choices to AND paradigm, Building Core Skills of Organization , and the co-author of the following publications: Managing Diversity in the 21st Century, Strategy for Cluster Initiatives in Japan , and Building a Career to the World Class Professionals – all in Japanese. Her books in English include: Asian Advantage, Hitotsubashi on Knowledge Management and Trust and Antitrust in Asian Business Alliances.
Professor Ishikura’s current research interests are focused on global competition, innovation, and knowledge management. She received her BA from Sophia University in Tokyo, Japan; MBA from Darden School, University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia; and DBA from Harvard Business School.
