IBM stressing accuracy of responses in launch of upgraded AI offering

International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) launched its newest artificial intelligence program with a wide range of tools it promises will allow companies “to train, tune and deploy AI models.”

IBM’s initial AI program Watson was created to beat humans at the gameshow “Jeopardy!,” but have now updated the AI offering. The new Watsonx program boasts an AI development studio that will allow companies to access “IBM-curated and trained foundation models,” that could potentially offer more accurate responses.

The computer company launched its upgraded program on Tuesday, saying that it will now offer a studio, data store and governance toolkit.

This latest launch comes as other AI-programs, such as ChatGPT, have dominated the tech space. IBM is not the only tech company to shift to promoting its new AI program, as other companies, like Google and Microsoft are also developing their own programs.

“With the development of foundation models, AI for business is more powerful than ever,” IBM Chairman and CEO Arvind Krishna said in a statement. “Foundation models make deploying AI significantly more scalable, affordable, and efficient.”

“We built IBM watsonx for the needs of enterprises, so that clients can be more than just users, they can become AI advantaged,” he continued. “With IBM watsonx, clients can quickly train and deploy custom AI capabilities across their entire business, all while retaining full control of their data.”

The IBM press release also noted that the company is planning to launch more watsonx models for its other products going forward, including a Watson Code Assistant, which will allow developers to generate codes with English commands.

Krishna said that the new AI programs will aim to replace “more repetitive, back-office processes,” CNBC reported.

“We see this easily taking anywhere from 30 to 50 percent of that volume of tasks and being able to do them with really as much or better proficiency than even people can do,” Krishna said. “That lot, we see getting embraced right away starting this year, and getting to full fruition over the next three to five years.”