IBM's Watson supercomputer to give medical diagnoses

IBM's supercomputer Watson might have practical applications beyond trouncing human opponents on the trivia show "Jeopardy!"

WellPoint, a health insurance company, announced on Monday it will use Watson to help doctors diagnose illnesses and authorize treatments.

"We believe this will be an invaluable resource for our partnering physicians and will dramatically enhance the quality and effectiveness of medical care they deliver to our members,"  Sam Nussbaum, WellPoint's Chief Medical Officer, said.

Watson will analyze medical literature, health data and a patient's health record to give advice to doctors and patients.

Watson can comb through the equivalent of about 1 million books and provide responses in less than three seconds, according to IBM.

In a demonstration of its computing power, Watson defeated two "Jeopardy!" champions in games earlier this year.

IBM will display Watson's potential health applications at an event at the National Press Club on Tuesday morning.

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