Georgia Tech Professor Used Robot as TA

Ashok Goel, a professor of computer science at Georgia Institute of Technology, gave his students an unusual lesson in an artificial intelligence course this semester. The Wall Street Journal reported that Goel used IBM's computer analytics programs to create a robot -- with the name of Jill Watson, in honor of the IBM Watson system -- to work as a teaching assistant in the course. Jill Watson prompted students about deadlines and provided information and encouragement in the online discussions for the course.