PBS' "NOVA" PRODUCING NEW FILM ON ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE WITH UNIQUE ACCESS TO IBM'S "WATSON" AND THE MACHINE'S BID TO COMPETE ON JEOPARDY!

NOVA's "Smartest Machine On Earth" To Premiere February 9, 2011 on PBS

BOSTON, MA [FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE] - The preeminent PBS science series NOVA is currently in production on Smartest Machine On Earth, a one-hour documentary on artificial intelligence (AI), and on the development of IBM's "Watson" and that sophisticated computing system's quest to compete on the television show Jeopardy!, NOVA's senior executive producer Paula S. Apsell announced today.

Produced for NOVA by Little Bay Pictures, the fascinating film gains unprecedented access to "Watson" and its creators, going behind-the-scenes at IBM to give viewers a firsthand look at the technological feats and hurdles to develop "Watson," the challenges AI researchers face in mimicking the human thought process, and the implications and potential applications these breakthroughs have for the future.

Smartest Machine On Earth, NOVA's in-depth documentary, is scheduled to premiere on Wednesday, February 9, 2011 at 10pm ET/PT on PBS (check local listings) -- just days before "Watson" makes television history on Jeopardy! competing against Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter, the show's two most successful and celebrated contestants.

Now in its 37th season, NOVA is the most-watched primetime science series on American television, reaching an average of five million viewers weekly. The series remains committed to producing in-depth science programming in the form of hour-long (and occasionally longer) documentaries, from the latest breakthroughs in technology to the deepest mysteries of the natural world. NOVA airs Tuesdays at 8pm ET/PT on WGBH Boston and most PBS stations. The Director of the WGBH Science Unit and Senior Executive Producer of NOVA is Paula S. Apsell.

Funding for NOVA is provided by ExxonMobil, Pacific Life, David H. Koch, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and public television viewers.

NOVA is closed-captioned for deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers and described for people who are blind or visually impaired by the Media Access Group at WGBH. The descriptive narration is available on the SAP channel or stereo TV and VCRs. To order NOVA direct from WGBH Boston Video, visit shop.wgbh.org or call 800.949.8670.