A capacity crowd turned out on July 2 at Six Flags Great Escape Lodge in Queensbury for the EDC Warren County annual luncheon that featured a keynote speech by Dr. John E. Kelly III, IBM senior vice president
A new generation of “smart” quantum computers that think for themselves is about to replace classical computers, which could eventually make programming obsolete.
In an address dubbed “The Era of Cognitive Computing and Artificial Intelligence,” Kelly said technology is advancing at such a rate that its impact around the globe will be more profound.
He sad “quantum computers” that are in development will one day do things that current computers are incapable of. Artificial intelligence will grow to the point where the new systems will do calculations that are unprecedented.
At a U.S. Department of Energy facility in Tennessee, IBM as installed what it says is the world’s fastest computer, Kelly said that countries that build the best artificial intelligence are going to be the most successful in the coming years.
He referenced the IBM partnership with RPI college and The Fund for Lake George that began some years ago, called The Jefferson Project. Technicians placed sensors around Lake George to give scientists better information on things that affect the water quality, including road salt, stormwater runoff and more. The information is used to determine corrective efforts.
As IBM senior vice president, Kelly is focused on the company’s investments in several of the fastest-growing and most strategic parts of the information technology market. His portfolio includes IBM analytics, IBM security and IBM Watson, as well as IBM research and the company’s intellectual property team.