Our Watson experience at the University of Manitoba

University of Manitoba recently worked with IBM and their Cognitive Campus program to learn about Watson and the applications for Watson in one of the many advisor functions in higher education. This experience started with... [ view full abstract ]

University of Manitoba recently worked with IBM and their Cognitive Campus program to learn about Watson and the applications for Watson in one of the many advisor functions in higher education. This experience started with the engagement with IBM in a Design workshop to collaboratively analyze the opportunities and Use Cases for Watson to assist in advising. This was followed by the Learn workshop where the University of Manitoba had an opportunity to work with the Watson development tools to gain familiarity and experience.

Finally, the University of Manitoba undertook a small project with multiple iterations to create a chatbot both on Web and Mobile platforms that students and faculty could ask real-world questions and have Watson answer them.

This presentation will review what went well and what were the challenges that had to be overcome. Some of the questions that had to be answered were what type of questions or advising would/should Watson answer? How would Watson work side-by-side with other advisers? How do we ensure Watson always gives correct answers? When should we override a Watson answer?

We will also talk about our team structure which crossed many departments and discuss what worked, what we would do differently, and what you need to absolutely have in your team.