IBM's Watson Wants to Examine Your DNA

From PC Mag.com (Nov. 12):

How much exercise should I get today? How much coffee can I drink on Monday? These are questions you might ask yourself, not really expecting an actual response, but if IBM has its way, its Watson supercomputer will soon be able to supply the answers.

IBM's Watson Group today announced an undisclosed investment in Pathway Genomics to create the first cognitive consumer app based on a user's genetic makeup.

Citing research on genomic medicine, IBM said the bioinformatics market is expected to grow to $12.86 billion by 2020. Few consumers, however, have access to or can benefit from personalized wellness-related recommendations tailored to their individual needs. Which is where IBM and Pathway Genomics come in.

By leveraging the natural language processing and cognitive capabilities of Watson, consumers will be able to "Ask Watson" for insights, based on their own genes, wearable data, and other wellness information, like emotional, physical, and social well being. [read more]

I am surprised Google hasn’t done this already. Don’t we—ie America—have this already? Her name is Michelle Obama—well, at least for the wellness information anyway.

You really want to ask a computer for insights about emotional and social well being? I can see it now. Some girl or woman will be using this app and it tells her the guy she is dating isn’t good for her. So much for getting advice from her girlfriends.

What if Google (or other competitors) makes their own app and you have this app. You might have two “advisors” with conflicting advice.