[Script Info]
Title: 
[Events]
Format: Layer, Start, End, Style, Name, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, Effect, Text
Dialogue: 0,0:00:00.50,0:00:03.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In two weeks time, that's the ninth anniversary
Dialogue: 0,0:00:03.27,0:00:07.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of the day I first stepped out onto that hallowed "Jeopardy" set.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:07.37,0:00:09.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I mean, nine years is a long time.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:09.22,0:00:11.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And given "Jeopardy's" average demographics,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:11.14,0:00:12.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I think what that means
Dialogue: 0,0:00:12.43,0:00:15.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is most of the people who saw me on that show are now dead.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:15.62,0:00:17.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:00:17.80,0:00:19.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But not all, a few are still alive.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:19.24,0:00:21.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Occasionally I still get recognized at the mall or whatever.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:21.76,0:00:24.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And when I do, it's as a bit of a know-it-all.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:24.46,0:00:26.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I think that ship has sailed, it's too late for me.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:26.91,0:00:29.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,For better or for worse, that's what I'm going to be known as,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:29.10,0:00:32.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as the guy who knew a lot of weird stuff.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:32.34,0:00:34.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I can't complain about this.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:34.62,0:00:37.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I feel like that was always sort of my destiny,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:37.04,0:00:40.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,although I had for many years been pretty deeply in the trivia closet.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:40.50,0:00:43.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If nothing else, you realize very quickly as a teenager,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:43.27,0:00:46.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it is not a hit with girls to know Captain Kirk's middle name.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:46.46,0:00:47.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:00:47.62,0:00:51.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And as a result, I was sort of the deeply closeted kind of know-it-all for many years.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:51.86,0:00:55.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But if you go further back, if you look at it, it's all there.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:55.08,0:00:58.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I was the kind of kid who was always bugging Mom and Dad
Dialogue: 0,0:00:58.21,0:01:01.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with whatever great fact I had just read about --
Dialogue: 0,0:01:01.14,0:01:02.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Haley's comet or giant squids
Dialogue: 0,0:01:02.84,0:01:06.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or the size of the world's biggest pumpkin pie or whatever it was.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:06.77,0:01:09.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I now have a 10-year-old of my own who's exactly the same.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:09.99,0:01:14.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I know how deeply annoying it is, so karma does work.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:14.09,0:01:15.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:01:15.59,0:01:18.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I loved game shows, fascinated with game shows.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:18.42,0:01:21.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I remember crying on my first day of kindergarten back in 1979
Dialogue: 0,0:01:21.83,0:01:24.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because it had just hit me, as badly as I wanted to go to school,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:24.35,0:01:27.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that I was also going to miss "Hollywood Squares" and "Family Feud."
Dialogue: 0,0:01:27.68,0:01:31.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I was going to miss my game shows.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:31.91,0:01:33.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And later, in the mid-'80s,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:33.60,0:01:35.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,when "Jeopardy" came back on the air,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:35.21,0:01:39.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I remember running home from school every day to watch the show.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:39.29,0:01:44.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It was my favorite show, even before it paid for my house.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:44.79,0:01:47.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And we lived overseas, we lived in South Korea where my dad was working,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:47.20,0:01:49.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,where there was only one English language TV channel.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:49.62,0:01:50.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There was Armed Forces TV,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:50.87,0:01:53.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and if you didn't speak Korean, that's what you were watching.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:53.04,0:01:56.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So me and all my friends would run home every day and watch "Jeopardy."
Dialogue: 0,0:01:56.35,0:01:59.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I was always that kind of obsessed trivia kid.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:59.35,0:02:04.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I remember being able to play Trivial Pursuit against my parents back in the '80s
Dialogue: 0,0:02:04.54,0:02:07.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and holding my own, back when that was a fad.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:07.37,0:02:09.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There's a weird sense of mastery you get
Dialogue: 0,0:02:09.42,0:02:12.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,when you know some bit of boomer trivia that Mom and Dad don't know.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:12.66,0:02:16.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You know some Beatles factoid that Dad didn't know.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:16.22,0:02:19.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And you think, ah hah, knowledge really is power --
Dialogue: 0,0:02:19.20,0:02:26.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the right fact deployed at exactly the right place.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:26.39,0:02:28.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I never had a guidance counselor
Dialogue: 0,0:02:28.20,0:02:30.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who thought this was a legitimate career path,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:30.59,0:02:33.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that thought you could major in trivia
Dialogue: 0,0:02:33.04,0:02:36.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or be a professional ex-game show contestant.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:36.45,0:02:38.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And so I sold out way too young.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:38.85,0:02:40.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I didn't try to figure out what one does with that.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:40.29,0:02:42.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I studied computers because I heard that was the thing,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:42.75,0:02:44.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I became a computer programmer --
Dialogue: 0,0:02:44.61,0:02:46.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,not an especially good one,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:46.41,0:02:51.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,not an especially happy one at the time when I was first on "Jeopardy" in 2004.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:51.42,0:02:52.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But that's what I was doing.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:52.74,0:02:55.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And it made it doubly ironic -- my computer background --
Dialogue: 0,0:02:55.58,0:02:59.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a few years later, I think 2009 or so,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:59.80,0:03:02.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,when I got another phone call from "Jeopardy" saying,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:02.34,0:03:04.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"It's early days yet, but IBM tells us
Dialogue: 0,0:03:04.66,0:03:09.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they want to build a supercomputer to beat you at 'Jeopardy.'
Dialogue: 0,0:03:09.75,0:03:11.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Are you up for this?"
Dialogue: 0,0:03:11.24,0:03:12.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This was the first I'd heard of it.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:12.83,0:03:15.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And of course I said yes, for several reasons.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:15.50,0:03:17.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,One, because playing "Jeopardy" is a great time.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:17.75,0:03:21.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's fun. It's the most fun you can have with your pants on.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:21.43,0:03:23.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:03:23.43,0:03:24.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I would do it for nothing.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:24.84,0:03:26.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I don't think they know that, luckily,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:26.57,0:03:29.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but I would go back and play for Arby's coupons.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:29.79,0:03:31.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I just love "Jeopardy," and I always have.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:31.92,0:03:36.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And second of all, because I'm a nerdy guy and this seemed like the future.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:36.15,0:03:38.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,People playing computers on game shows
Dialogue: 0,0:03:38.02,0:03:41.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,was the kind of thing I always imagined would happen in the future,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:41.07,0:03:42.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and now I could be on the stage with it.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:42.62,0:03:43.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I was not going to say no.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:43.70,0:03:44.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The third reason I said yes
Dialogue: 0,0:03:44.84,0:03:47.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is because I was pretty confident that I was going to win.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:47.44,0:03:49.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I had taken some artificial intelligence classes.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:49.57,0:03:53.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I knew there were no computers that could do what you need to do to win on "Jeopardy."
Dialogue: 0,0:03:53.90,0:03:57.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,People don't realize how tough it is to write that kind of program
Dialogue: 0,0:03:57.10,0:04:00.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that can read a "Jeopardy" clue in a natural language like English
Dialogue: 0,0:04:00.66,0:04:04.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and understand all the double meanings, the puns, the red herrings,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:04.29,0:04:06.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,unpack the meaning of the clue.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:06.85,0:04:11.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The kind of thing that a three- or four-year-old human, little kid could do,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:11.49,0:04:13.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,very hard for a computer.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:13.72,0:04:16.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I thought, well this is going to be child's play.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:16.83,0:04:21.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Yes, I will come destroy the computer and defend my species.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:21.75,0:04:23.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:04:23.60,0:04:25.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But as the years went on,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:25.20,0:04:28.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as IBM started throwing money and manpower and processor speed at this,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:28.99,0:04:31.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I started to get occasional updates from them,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:31.08,0:04:32.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I started to get a little more worried.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:32.87,0:04:38.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I remember a journal article about this new question answering software that had a graph.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:38.95,0:04:42.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It was a scatter chart showing performance on "Jeopardy,"
Dialogue: 0,0:04:42.87,0:04:46.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,tens of thousands of dots representing "Jeopardy" champions up at the top
Dialogue: 0,0:04:46.52,0:04:48.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with their performance plotted on number of --
Dialogue: 0,0:04:48.80,0:04:52.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I was going to say questions answered, but answers questioned, I guess,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:52.87,0:04:54.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,clues responded to --
Dialogue: 0,0:04:54.83,0:04:57.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,versus the accuracy of those answers.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:57.22,0:05:00.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So there's a certain performance level that the computer would need to get to.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:00.58,0:05:02.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And at first, it was very low.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:02.37,0:05:05.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There was no software that could compete at this kind of arena.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:05.74,0:05:07.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But then you see the line start to go up.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:07.92,0:05:10.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And it's getting very close to what they call the winner's cloud.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:10.40,0:05:12.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I noticed in the upper right of the scatter chart
Dialogue: 0,0:05:12.08,0:05:18.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,some darker dots, some black dots, that were a different color.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:18.20,0:05:19.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And thought, what are these?
Dialogue: 0,0:05:19.77,0:05:23.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"The black dots in the upper right represent 74-time 'Jeopardy' champion Ken Jennings."
Dialogue: 0,0:05:23.66,0:05:25.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I saw this line coming for me.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:25.85,0:05:26.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I realized, this is it.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:26.95,0:05:28.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This is what it looks like when the future comes for you.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:28.99,0:05:30.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:05:30.94,0:05:33.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's not the Terminator's gun sight;
Dialogue: 0,0:05:33.12,0:05:37.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it's a little line coming closer and closer to the thing you can do,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:37.29,0:05:40.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the only thing that makes you special, the thing you're best at.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:40.42,0:05:45.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And when the game eventually happened about a year later,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:45.17,0:05:48.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it was very different than the "Jeopardy" games I'd been used to.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:48.04,0:05:50.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We were not playing in L.A. on the regular "Jeopardy" set.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:50.54,0:05:52.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Watson does not travel.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:52.80,0:05:53.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Watson's actually huge.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:53.90,0:05:58.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's thousands of processors, a terabyte of memory,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:58.44,0:05:59.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,trillions of bytes of memory.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:59.85,0:06:02.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We got to walk through his climate-controlled server room.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:02.29,0:06:05.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The only other "Jeopardy" contestant to this day I've ever been inside.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:05.91,0:06:09.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And so Watson does not travel.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:09.24,0:06:13.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You must come to it; you must make the pilgrimage.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:13.27,0:06:15.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So me and the other human player
Dialogue: 0,0:06:15.33,0:06:18.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,wound up at this secret IBM research lab
Dialogue: 0,0:06:18.54,0:06:21.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in the middle of these snowy woods in Westchester County
Dialogue: 0,0:06:21.08,0:06:22.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to play the computer.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:22.66,0:06:24.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And we realized right away
Dialogue: 0,0:06:24.72,0:06:27.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that the computer had a big home court advantage.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:27.61,0:06:29.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There was a big Watson logo in the middle of the stage.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:29.96,0:06:32.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Like you're going to play the Chicago Bulls,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:32.63,0:06:34.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and there's the thing in the middle of their court.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:34.93,0:06:38.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And the crowd was full of IBM V.P.s and programmers
Dialogue: 0,0:06:38.17,0:06:40.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,cheering on their little darling,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:40.06,0:06:42.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,having poured millions of dollars into this
Dialogue: 0,0:06:42.43,0:06:45.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,hoping against hope that the humans screw up,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:45.37,0:06:47.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and holding up "Go Watson" signs
Dialogue: 0,0:06:47.17,0:06:51.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and just applauding like pageant moms every time their little darling got one right.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:51.81,0:06:57.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I think guys had "W-A-T-S-O-N" written on their bellies in grease paint.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:57.68,0:07:03.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If you can imagine computer programmers with the letters "W-A-T-S-O-N" written on their gut,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:03.08,0:07:04.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it's an unpleasant sight.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:04.75,0:07:07.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But they were right. They were exactly right.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:07.80,0:07:10.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I don't want to spoil it, if you still have this sitting on your DVR,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:10.22,0:07:13.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but Watson won handily.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:13.38,0:07:16.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I remember standing there behind the podium
Dialogue: 0,0:07:16.25,0:07:19.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as I could hear that little insectoid thumb clicking.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:19.01,0:07:22.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It had a robot thumb that was clicking on the buzzer.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:22.38,0:07:26.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And you could hear that little tick, tick, tick, tick.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:26.50,0:07:29.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I remember thinking, this is it.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:29.25,0:07:30.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I felt obsolete.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:30.85,0:07:33.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I felt like a Detroit factory worker of the '80s
Dialogue: 0,0:07:33.90,0:07:36.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,seeing a robot that could now do his job on the assembly line.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:36.75,0:07:41.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I felt like quiz show contestant was now the first job that had become obsolete
Dialogue: 0,0:07:41.84,0:07:45.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,under this new regime of thinking computers.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:45.62,0:07:47.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And it hasn't been the last.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:47.58,0:07:50.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If you watch the news, you'll see occasionally --
Dialogue: 0,0:07:50.22,0:07:51.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I see this all the time --
Dialogue: 0,0:07:51.91,0:07:56.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that pharmacists now, there's a machine that can fill prescriptions automatically
Dialogue: 0,0:07:56.67,0:07:59.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,without actually needing a human pharmacist.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:59.08,0:08:01.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And a lot of law firms are getting rid of paralegals
Dialogue: 0,0:08:01.27,0:08:05.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because there's software that can sum up case laws and legal briefs and decisions.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:05.66,0:08:08.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You don't need human assistants for that anymore.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:08.17,0:08:11.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I read the other day about a program where you feed it a box score
Dialogue: 0,0:08:11.30,0:08:13.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,from a baseball or football game
Dialogue: 0,0:08:13.09,0:08:15.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and it spits out a news article as if a human had watched the game
Dialogue: 0,0:08:15.66,0:08:17.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and was commenting on it.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:17.09,0:08:21.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And obviously these new technologies can't do as clever or creative a job
Dialogue: 0,0:08:21.09,0:08:22.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as the humans they're replacing,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:22.52,0:08:26.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but they're faster, and crucially, they're much, much cheaper.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:26.34,0:08:31.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So it makes me wonder what the economic effects of this might be.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:31.36,0:08:34.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I've read economists saying that, as a result of these new technologies,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:34.70,0:08:36.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we'll enter a new golden age of leisure
Dialogue: 0,0:08:36.83,0:08:39.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,when we'll all have time for the things we really love
Dialogue: 0,0:08:39.12,0:08:46.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because all these onerous tasks will be taken over by Watson and his digital brethren.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:46.09,0:08:47.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I've heard other people say quite the opposite,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:47.80,0:08:50.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that this is yet another tier of the middle class
Dialogue: 0,0:08:50.02,0:08:55.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that's having the thing they can do taken away from them by a new technology
Dialogue: 0,0:08:55.06,0:08:56.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and that this is actually something ominous,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:56.62,0:08:58.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,something that we should worry about.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:58.12,0:08:59.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I'm not an economist myself.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:59.97,0:09:03.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,All I know is how it felt to be the guy put out of work.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:03.24,0:09:06.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And it was friggin' demoralizing. It was terrible.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:06.30,0:09:08.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Here's the one thing that I was ever good at,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:08.54,0:09:12.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and all it took was IBM pouring tens of millions of dollars and its smartest people
Dialogue: 0,0:09:12.69,0:09:15.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and thousands of processors working in parallel
Dialogue: 0,0:09:15.22,0:09:17.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and they could do the same thing.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:17.31,0:09:20.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They could do it a little bit faster and a little better on national TV,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:20.54,0:09:23.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and "I'm sorry, Ken. We don't need you anymore."
Dialogue: 0,0:09:23.27,0:09:27.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And it made me think, what does this mean,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:27.00,0:09:28.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,if we're going to be able to start outsourcing,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:28.74,0:09:32.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,not just lower unimportant brain functions.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:32.37,0:09:34.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I'm sure many of you remember a distant time
Dialogue: 0,0:09:34.84,0:09:37.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,when we had to know phone numbers, when we knew our friends' phone numbers.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:37.67,0:09:39.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And suddenly there was a machine that did that,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:39.66,0:09:42.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and now we don't need to remember that anymore.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:42.06,0:09:43.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I have read that there's now actually evidence
Dialogue: 0,0:09:43.94,0:09:48.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that the hippocampus, the part of our brain that handles spacial relationships,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:48.38,0:09:50.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,physically shrinks and atrophies
Dialogue: 0,0:09:50.04,0:09:52.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in people who use tools like GPS,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:52.64,0:09:55.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because we're not exercising our sense of direction anymore.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:55.20,0:09:57.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We're just obeying a little talking voice on our dashboard.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:57.54,0:10:00.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And as a result, a part of our brain that's supposed to do that kind of stuff
Dialogue: 0,0:10:00.14,0:10:01.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,gets smaller and dumber.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:01.95,0:10:05.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And it made me think, what happens when computers are now better
Dialogue: 0,0:10:05.74,0:10:09.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,at knowing and remembering stuff than we are?
Dialogue: 0,0:10:09.24,0:10:13.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Is all of our brain going to start to shrink and atrophy like that?
Dialogue: 0,0:10:13.32,0:10:17.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Are we as a culture going to start to value knowledge less?
Dialogue: 0,0:10:17.09,0:10:20.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,As somebody who has always believed in the importance of the stuff that we know,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:20.96,0:10:28.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,this was a terrifying idea to me.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:28.18,0:10:33.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The more I thought about it, I realized, no, it's still important.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:33.16,0:10:35.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The things we know are still important.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:35.37,0:10:38.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I came to believe there were two advantages
Dialogue: 0,0:10:38.37,0:10:42.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that those of us who have these things in our head have
Dialogue: 0,0:10:42.04,0:10:46.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,over somebody who says, "Oh, yeah. I can Google that. Hold on a second."
Dialogue: 0,0:10:46.87,0:10:49.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There's an advantage of volume, and there's an advantage of time.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:49.54,0:10:51.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The advantage of volume, first,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:51.09,0:10:53.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,just has to do with the complexity of the world nowadays.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:53.72,0:10:55.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There's so much information out there.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:55.14,0:10:56.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Being a Renaissance man or woman,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:56.42,0:10:58.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that's something that was only possible in the Renaissance.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:58.59,0:10:59.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now it's really not possible
Dialogue: 0,0:10:59.86,0:11:02.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to be reasonably educated on every field of human endeavor.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:02.94,0:11:04.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There's just too much.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:04.54,0:11:07.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They say that the scope of human information
Dialogue: 0,0:11:07.04,0:11:09.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is now doubling every 18 months or so,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:09.09,0:11:11.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the sum total of human information.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:11.63,0:11:15.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That means between now and late 2014,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:15.21,0:11:18.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we will generate as much information, in terms of gigabytes,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:18.68,0:11:22.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as all of humanity has in all the previous millenia put together.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:22.76,0:11:24.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's doubling every 18 months now.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:24.83,0:11:28.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This is terrifying because a lot of the big decisions we make
Dialogue: 0,0:11:28.19,0:11:31.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,require the mastery of lots of different kinds of facts.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:31.46,0:11:36.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,A decision like where do I go to school? What should I major in?
Dialogue: 0,0:11:36.49,0:11:37.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Who do I vote for?
Dialogue: 0,0:11:37.93,0:11:39.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Do I take this job or that one?
Dialogue: 0,0:11:39.69,0:11:43.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,These are the decisions that require correct judgments
Dialogue: 0,0:11:43.33,0:11:45.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,about many different kinds of facts.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:45.45,0:11:47.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If we have those facts at our mental fingertips,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:47.18,0:11:49.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we're going to be able to make informed decisions.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:49.88,0:11:52.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If, on the other hand, we need to look them all up,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:52.55,0:11:54.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we may be in trouble.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:54.41,0:11:56.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,According to a National Geographic survey I just saw,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:56.35,0:11:58.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,somewhere along the lines of 80 percent
Dialogue: 0,0:11:58.67,0:12:02.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of the people who vote in a U.S. presidential election about issues like foreign policy
Dialogue: 0,0:12:02.68,0:12:05.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,cannot find Iraq or Afghanistan on a map.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:05.65,0:12:08.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If you can't do that first step,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:08.22,0:12:11.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,are you really going to look up the other thousand facts you're going to need to know
Dialogue: 0,0:12:11.25,0:12:14.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to master your knowledge of U.S. foreign policy?
Dialogue: 0,0:12:14.22,0:12:15.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Quite probably not.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:15.48,0:12:16.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,At some point you're just going to be like,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:16.80,0:12:18.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"You know what? There's too much to know. Screw it."
Dialogue: 0,0:12:18.67,0:12:20.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And you'll make a less informed decision.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:20.47,0:12:23.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The other issue is the advantage of time that you have
Dialogue: 0,0:12:23.95,0:12:25.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,if you have all these things at your fingertips.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:25.89,0:12:29.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I always think of the story of a little girl named Tilly Smith.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:29.30,0:12:31.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,She was a 10-year-old girl from Surrey, England
Dialogue: 0,0:12:31.98,0:12:35.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,on vacation with her parents a few years ago in Phuket, Thailand.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:35.32,0:12:36.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,She runs up to them on the beach one morning
Dialogue: 0,0:12:36.97,0:12:39.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and says, "Mom, Dad, we've got to get off the beach."
Dialogue: 0,0:12:39.55,0:12:42.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And they say, "What do you mean? We just got here."
Dialogue: 0,0:12:42.10,0:12:45.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And she said, "In Mr. Kearney's geography class last month,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:45.20,0:12:48.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,he told us that when the tide goes out abruptly out to sea
Dialogue: 0,0:12:48.14,0:12:49.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and you see the waves churning way out there,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:49.83,0:12:54.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that's the sign of a tsunami, and you need to clear the beach."
Dialogue: 0,0:12:54.02,0:12:56.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What would you do if your 10-year-old daughter came up to you with this?
Dialogue: 0,0:12:56.22,0:12:57.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Her parents thought about it,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:57.56,0:12:59.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and they finally, to their credit, decided to believe her.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:59.70,0:13:01.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They told the lifeguard, they went back to the hotel,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:01.71,0:13:05.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the lifeguard cleared over 100 people off the beach, luckily,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:05.60,0:13:08.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because that was the day of the Boxing Day tsunami,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:08.50,0:13:10.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the day after Christmas, 2004,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:10.10,0:13:14.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that killed thousands of people in Southeast Asia and around the Indian Ocean.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:14.06,0:13:16.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But not on that beach, not on Mai Khao Beach,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:16.54,0:13:21.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because this little girl had remembered one fact from her geography teacher a month before.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:21.75,0:13:23.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now when facts come in handy like that --
Dialogue: 0,0:13:23.85,0:13:27.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I love that story because it shows you the power of one fact,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:27.46,0:13:31.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,one remembered fact in exactly the right place at the right time --
Dialogue: 0,0:13:31.74,0:13:34.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,normally something that's easier to see on game shows than in real life.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:34.48,0:13:36.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But in this case it happened in real life.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:36.58,0:13:38.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And it happens in real life all the time.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:38.20,0:13:40.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's not always a tsunami, often it's a social situation.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:40.42,0:13:45.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's a meeting or job interview or first date
Dialogue: 0,0:13:45.13,0:13:46.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or some relationship that gets lubricated
Dialogue: 0,0:13:46.80,0:13:50.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because two people realize they share some common piece of knowledge.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:50.18,0:13:52.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You say where you're from, and I say, "Oh, yeah."
Dialogue: 0,0:13:52.73,0:13:54.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Or your alma mater or your job,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:54.37,0:13:56.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I know just a little something about it,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:56.28,0:13:57.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,enough to get the ball rolling.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:57.83,0:13:59.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,People love that shared connection that gets created
Dialogue: 0,0:13:59.70,0:14:01.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,when somebody knows something about you.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:01.99,0:14:06.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's like they took the time to get to know you before you even met.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:06.00,0:14:07.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That's often the advantage of time.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:07.42,0:14:08.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And it's not effective if you say, "Well, hold on.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:08.90,0:14:14.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You're from Fargo, North Dakota. Let me see what comes up.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:14.46,0:14:16.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Oh, yeah. Roger Maris was from Fargo."
Dialogue: 0,0:14:16.37,0:14:19.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That doesn't work. That's just annoying.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:19.40,0:14:21.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:14:21.85,0:14:27.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The great 18th-century British theologian and thinker, friend of Dr. Johnson,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:27.55,0:14:33.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Samuel Parr once said, "It's always better to know a thing than not to know it."
Dialogue: 0,0:14:33.92,0:14:38.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And if I have lived my life by any kind of creed, it's probably that.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:38.45,0:14:43.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I have always believed that the things we know -- that knowledge is an absolute good,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:43.98,0:14:46.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that the things we have learned and carry with us in our heads
Dialogue: 0,0:14:46.78,0:14:48.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,are what make us who we are,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:48.80,0:14:51.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as individuals and as a species.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:51.32,0:14:55.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I don't know if I want to live in a world where knowledge is obsolete.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:55.42,0:14:58.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I don't want to live in a world where cultural literacy has been replaced
Dialogue: 0,0:14:58.75,0:15:00.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,by these little bubbles of specialty,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:00.66,0:15:04.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so that none of us know about the common associations
Dialogue: 0,0:15:04.17,0:15:06.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that used to bind our civilization together.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:06.68,0:15:08.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I don't want to be the last trivia know-it-all
Dialogue: 0,0:15:08.62,0:15:10.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,sitting on a mountain somewhere,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:10.04,0:15:14.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,reciting to himself the state capitals and the names of "Simpsons" episodes
Dialogue: 0,0:15:14.40,0:15:18.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the lyrics of Abba songs.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:18.07,0:15:22.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I feel like our civilization works when this is a vast cultural heritage that we all share
Dialogue: 0,0:15:22.55,0:15:25.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and that we know without having to outsource it to our devices,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:25.74,0:15:28.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to our search engines and our smartphones.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:28.34,0:15:32.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In the movies, when computers like Watson start to think,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:32.97,0:15:35.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,things don't always end well.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:35.55,0:15:39.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Those movies are never about beautiful utopias.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:39.35,0:15:45.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's always a terminator or a matrix or an astronaut getting sucked out an airlock in "2001."
Dialogue: 0,0:15:45.08,0:15:48.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Things always go terribly wrong.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:48.32,0:15:50.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I feel like we're sort of at the point now
Dialogue: 0,0:15:50.25,0:15:54.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,where we need to make that choice of what kind of future we want to be living in.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:54.33,0:15:55.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This is a question of leadership,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:55.85,0:15:59.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because it becomes a question of who leads the future.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:59.52,0:16:05.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,On the one hand, we can choose between a new golden age
Dialogue: 0,0:16:05.70,0:16:09.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,where information is more universally available
Dialogue: 0,0:16:09.00,0:16:10.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,than it's ever been in human history,
Dialogue: 0,0:16:10.66,0:16:13.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,where we all have the answers to our questions at our fingertips.
Dialogue: 0,0:16:13.03,0:16:14.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And on the other hand,
Dialogue: 0,0:16:14.58,0:16:17.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we have the potential to be living in some gloomy dystopia
Dialogue: 0,0:16:17.35,0:16:19.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,where the machines have taken over
Dialogue: 0,0:16:19.37,0:16:22.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and we've all decided it's not important what we know anymore,
Dialogue: 0,0:16:22.42,0:16:25.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that knowledge isn't valuable because it's all out there in the cloud,
Dialogue: 0,0:16:25.03,0:16:31.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and why would we ever bother learning anything new.
Dialogue: 0,0:16:31.14,0:16:34.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Those are the two choices we have. I know which future I would rather be living in.
Dialogue: 0,0:16:34.93,0:16:37.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And we can all make that choice.
Dialogue: 0,0:16:37.17,0:16:40.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We make that choice by being curious, inquisitive people who like to learn,
Dialogue: 0,0:16:40.50,0:16:43.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who don't just say, "Well, as soon as the bell has rung and the class is over,
Dialogue: 0,0:16:43.64,0:16:44.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I don't have to learn anymore,"
Dialogue: 0,0:16:44.96,0:16:48.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or "Thank goodness I have my diploma. I'm done learning for a lifetime.
Dialogue: 0,0:16:48.04,0:16:50.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I don't have to learn new things anymore."
Dialogue: 0,0:16:50.40,0:16:53.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,No, every day we should be striving to learn something new.
Dialogue: 0,0:16:53.70,0:16:57.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We should have this unquenchable curiosity for the world around us.
Dialogue: 0,0:16:57.90,0:17:00.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That's where the people you see on "Jeopardy" come from.
Dialogue: 0,0:17:00.62,0:17:03.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,These know-it-alls, they're not Rainman-style savants
Dialogue: 0,0:17:03.70,0:17:05.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,sitting at home memorizing the phone book.
Dialogue: 0,0:17:05.80,0:17:07.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I've met a lot of them.
Dialogue: 0,0:17:07.12,0:17:08.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,For the most part, they are just normal folks
Dialogue: 0,0:17:08.67,0:17:12.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who are universally interested in the world around them, curious about everything,
Dialogue: 0,0:17:12.77,0:17:16.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,thirsty for this knowledge about whatever subject.
Dialogue: 0,0:17:16.09,0:17:18.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We can live in one of these two worlds.
Dialogue: 0,0:17:18.62,0:17:21.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We can live in a world where our brains, the things that we know,
Dialogue: 0,0:17:21.92,0:17:23.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,continue to be the thing that makes us special,
Dialogue: 0,0:17:23.75,0:17:30.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or a world in which we've outsourced all of that to evil supercomputers from the future like Watson.
Dialogue: 0,0:17:30.12,0:17:32.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Ladies and gentlemen, the choice is yours.
Dialogue: 0,0:17:32.77,0:17:35.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Thank you very much.