IBM Watson: Your New Financial Consultant

2016 LIMRA Big Data Analytics Conference will feature demonstration of Watson technology applied to financial services

WINDSOR, Conn., May 26, 2016 — A demonstration of financial decision making by IBM’s Watson technology will be featured at the 2016 LIMRA Big Data Analytics Conference June 21-22 in Boston.

Sridhar Iyengar, distinguished engineer, cognitive computing research at IBM TJ Watson Research Center, will discuss the future of financial decision making, using cognitive computing. This is a self-learning system that uses data mining, natural language processing and pattern recognition to provide insights from large amounts of unstructured data. Iyengar will show how Watson can combine traditional portfolio information with a stream of unstructured data such as social media, news, investment reports, etc. to provide relevant guidance for a financial advisor.

Dr. Jennifer Golbek, director of the Human-Computer Interaction Lab at the University of Maryland will provide the opening keynote speech and look at how scientists and companies leverage social data to develop a deeper understanding of consumers’ preferences and behavior.

“A real strength of this conference is the way it brings together professionals from both the business and technology sides of the industry," said Eric Sondergeld, corporate vice president and director of strategic and technology research at LIMRA. “By having both disciplines in one place we can examine effective ways to use big data to make better decisions and solve real business challenges.”

Sondergeld will moderate a discussion on analytics featuring Louis DiModugno, chief data and analytics officer for AXA Equitable Life, and Victor S.Y. Lo, vice president of data science and workplace investing at Fidelity Investments.

The program — with the theme Illuminating Data — also includes interactive demonstrations, problem-solving exercises, and microsummits, and takes full advantage of being in Boston, MA – often called the big data capital of the world.

The conference will be held at The Revere Hotel in Boston, Mass. For more information and to register online, please visit: 2016 LIMRA Big Data Analytics Conference.

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Media Contacts

Catherine Theroux, +1-860-285-7787, ctheroux@limra.com
Mark Morris, +1-860-285-7875, mmorris@limra.com

About LIMRA

LIMRA is a worldwide research, consulting, and professional development organization that helps more than 850 insurance and financial services companies in 64 countries increase their marketing and distribution effectiveness. Visit LIMRA at www.limra.com.