The Singapore government is working with IBM to adopt a supercomputer system that can answer personalized questions on government policies and services, in a bid to boost efficiency in government consultation, Channel NewsAsia reported on Tuesday.

This is the first time any government works with IBM on its cognitive computing system called Watson, a supercomputer that can process and analyze large amounts of data, to come up with solutions to solve problems.

The system, which was named after IBM's first CEO and industrialist Thomas J. Watson, is capable of answering questions posed directly in natural language, which is different from traditional way of using computer codes.

The supercomputer built up its first reputation by competing on Jeopardy! in 2011 against former winners Brad Rutter and Ken Jennings, and eventually got the first place.

According to Channel NewsAsia, Singapore will first use Watson to deal with consultations in areas such as income tax, employment and work pass and workplace health and safety. The pilot project, which will go live next year, will answer enquiries about the above areas based on its analysis.

"We hope the collaboration with IBM to tap on their leading Watson technology will bring about a transformative change in how the government can better interact with citizens and address their needs," said Lim Soo Hoon, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Finance.

IBM also announced it will train selected students at the National University of Singapore (NUS) to use Watson. Endi

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