[mihok]

Why is this only offered to lawyers and legal professionals? I have had countless scenarios where I just want to look up something regarding the laws surrounding a topic but get lost looking for accurate legal information... This seems like a perfect solution for that use case, no?

[alexhawdon]

Watson's good, but it's not that advanced. It's an 'expert system', in that it's a system for experts, not a system that is an expert.

This is a smarter, domain-specific search engine. You still need to be able to ask the right questions and then understand interpret the results it provides.

I still don't disagree that for certain 'low-stakes' issues it could be a useful tool for lay persons, but they'd need to understand the limitations. Perhaps they're worried that giving such access might tarnish the Watson brand -- if a medical doctor has tried Ross and found it wanting then when they roll out 'House' she might dismiss it as junk based on that experience.

[caskance]

No. It's more like StackOverflow. You wouldn't send a non-programmer there for basic questions, it's for people who work in the field looking for specific answers.

[vertex-four]

One issue is that they'd have to be very careful to ensure they're not seen as providing legal advice.