Man vs machine: Human triumphs over IBM’s AI debating system

International Business Machines (IBM) fell short in its latest attempt to prove machines can triumph over man. But it came close.

The tech giant’s six-year-old artificial intelligence debating system, affectionately dubbed “Miss Debater,” went head-to-head with one of the world’s most decorated practitioners on Monday. After a 25-minute rapid-fire exchange about pre-school subsidies — during which the female-voiced AI showed flashes of very homo sapien humour — the audience handed the victory to 31-year-old Harish Natarajan.