IBM this week announced that its Watson computer system was honored as the "Person Of The Year" at the 15^th Annual Webby Awards gala in New York City. Earlier this year, Watson captured the international spotlight when it competed on the renowned quiz show Jeopardy! and defeated the show's two most successful and celebrated contestants, Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter.

Created by IBM Research scientists, Watson is a breakthrough in using computers to answer questions posed in natural language over a nearly unlimited range of knowledge. With this analytics technology capability (which is based on an extremely robust search algorithms), Watson is able to analyze massive amounts of data and arrive at the correct answer to a staggering variety of difficult questions across an unlimited range of topics.

While tackling the challenge of Jeopardy! makes for compelling entertainment, the technology behind Watson has deep business value. IBM is currently applying Watson-like technology to solve challenges in healthcare, financial services, retail, and much more.

When presented with the Person of the Year award by host Lisa Kudrow, Watson responded, "Person of the year – ironic”.

The Webby Awards is a leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet, including web-sites, interactive advertising and media, online film and video, and mobile technology and apps. Established in 1996, the 15th Annual Webby Awards received nearly 10,000 entries from all 50 states and over 60 countries worldwide.

Tags: IBM, Watson