Six years and billions of dollars later, the diagnosis for Watson is gloomy.
More than a dozen IBM partners and clients have halted or shrunk Watson’s oncology-related projects.
Watson cancer applications have had limited impact on patients, according to dozens of interviews with
medical centers, companies and doctors who have used it, as well as documents reviewed by The Wall
Street Journal.
In many cases, the tools didn’t add much value. In some cases, Watson wasn’t accurate. Watson can
be tripped up by a lack of data in rare or recurring cancers, and treatments are evolving faster than
Watson’s human trainers can update the system. Dr. Chase of Columbia said he withdrew as an
adviser after he grew disappointed in IBM’s direction for marketing the technology.
No published research shows Watson improving patient outcomes.
Says it all.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/ibm-bet-billions-that-watson-could-improve-cancer-treatment-it-hasnt-worked-1533961147