On Monday, health-benefits provider WellPoint announced that the IBM supercomputer most famous for beating two “Jeopardy!” champions earlier this year would start aiding doctors in diagnosing patients. Physicians would consult with Watson’s database in treating patients because it can “rapidly process information and provide the right answers,” according to Sam Nussbaum, chief medical officer of WellPoint.

What might be most exciting about this is how the technology can allow humans (in this case, doctors) to do their jobs better.… Read the rest