For this Grand Challenge, it was important to maintain the integrity of the Jeopardy! quiz show. As such, very few game play exceptions were made for Watson. The system must physically buzz in, speak its responses and be able to handle second chance opportunities just like a human contestant.
Watson is programmed to determine whether to buzz in – or exercise the restraint to refrain from buzzing – according to the system’s level of confidence in a response and its position in the game.