ABSTRACT
The idea of the homey IBM Selectric typewriters and office machines souped-up like Frankenstein's monster to triumph over small-town residents at checkers was anathema to the friendly helpmate that was Watson Sr.'s marketing vision for IBM products. The blessings of computers and artificial intelligence have been the machine's potential to increase production while freeing people from the drudgery of everyday work, allowing them to think about the work rather than just enduring the tedium of doing it, thus improving efficiency and leaving more time to pursue lofty goals and enjoy life. The closeness of the match was not definitive of the superiority of machine over man, but Kasparov's paranoia throughout, and his abysmal resignation in Game 6 could at least establish that Deep Blue's cold logic could triumph over the warm frailty of human emotion and the pride of extremely self-aware human beings.
