AI vs. Cognitive Computing: Spot the Difference
What is traditional (or rule-based) AI ?
This type of system follows predefined rules, while cognitive computing learns from data.
What is Watson?
This IBM system defeated Jeopardy! champions in 2011.
What are clinical trials (or medical journals)?
IBM Watson Health analyzes these to recommend cancer treatments, combining patient data with medical literature.
What is reinforcement learning?
Autonomous drones use this cognitive technique to navigate obstacles without human input.
What is GPT-2 (or GPT-3)
This 2018 AI breakthrough by OpenAI could generate realistic fake text, raising ethical concerns.
What is unstructured data?
Cognitive computing excels at processing these types of data, like text or images, without rigid structure.
What is Go?
DeepMind’s AlphaGo made history by beating a world champion at this board game.
What are electronic health records (EHRs)?
Hospitals use cognitive systems to analyze these records, reducing diagnostic errors.
What is Autopilot?
This Tesla feature relies on cognitive systems to process sensor data for lane-keeping and braking.
What is computer vision (or sensor fusion)?
Amazon’s cashier-less stores use this cognitive tech to track items shoppers pick up.
What is machine learning (or feedback loops)?
Unlike classic AI, cognitive systems use this technique to improve by analyzing past interactions.
What are large language models (or generative AI)?
Unlike earlier AI, this 2022 breakthrough (e.g., ChatGPT) showed how cognitive systems could generate human-like text.
What are anomalies (or tumors)?
Hospitals use cognitive systems to flag these in radiology scans, reducing human oversight errors.
What is moral judgment (or empathy)?
Ethical debates surround autonomous weapons because they lack this human trait, which cognitive systems struggle to replicate.
What is PayPal (or any major bank, e.g., JPMorgan Chase)?
This financial firm uses cognitive AI to detect fraudulent transactions by analyzing spending patterns.
What is Natural Language Processing (NLP)?
IBM Watson uses this capability to "understand" human language, a hallmark of cognitive computing.
What is Deep Blue?
This 1997 IBM system defeated chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov, showcasing early AI strategic reasoning.
What is social media (or search trends)?
Researchers use cognitive AI to predict disease outbreaks by analyzing this type of real-time data.
What is the ethical decision-making dilemma (or moral machine problem)?
This "trolley problem" variant is debated for self-driving cars—should the AI prioritize passengers or pedestrians in unavoidable crashes?
What is supply chain waste (or shrinkage)?
Retailers like Walmart argue cognitive inventory systems reduce this costly problem caused by overstocking or stockouts.
What is "reason like a human" (or handle ambiguity)?
A key criticism of traditional AI is its inability to do this, which cognitive systems attempt by contextualizing data.
What is Waymo?
Stanford’s self-driving car project, now a standalone company, pioneered this "cognitive" tech for autonomous vehicles.
What is genomic (or genetic) data?
Researchers argue cognitive AI could personalize cancer treatment by analyzing this type of data.
What is an "edge case" (or atypical scenario)?
A 2018 Uber autonomous test vehicle failed to recognize this type of pedestrian (carrying a bike), highlighting limitations in cognitive perception.
What is past hiring decisions (or biased resumes)?
Critics say cognitive hiring tools perpetuate bias because they’re trained on this flawed historical data.