IBM released a new app that answers all of your burning questions about holiday shopping trends. It’s called the IBM Watson Trend App and it’s available as a free download from the Apple Store. The app is part of IBM’s push to spread the Watson knowledge via the API.
The IBM Watson App works by analyzing millions of reviews, blogs and social media conversations on sites like Twitter to curate lists of the top trending products in gift categories such as toys, electronics, health and fitness. In a slightly creepy way, Watson has been watching you. It has been monitoring tens of millions of online conversations on social media, and in the comments–yes, Watson reads the comments–as well as other forums, blogs, and websites. Its goal though is not just to snoop. Watson wants to understand how consumers feel.
Watson uses machine learning and natural language processing to determine how much people like or dislike a certain product or brand. Then it goes one step further and uses that knowledge to predict trends.
Now, you can browse the top 100 products, according to Watson, in consumer electronics, toys, and health and fitness–and plan your holiday gift-buying accordingly.
