Art with Watson: IBM Watson reveals a side to Marie Curie previously unknown to the world

Scientist Marie Curie, recognized for her pioneering study of radioactivity, was known as cold and detached from her children, loving her work above all. When Watson analyzed articles written about Curie, both during her lifetime and in the present, such as her autobiography, private letters, a Nobel lecture and a biography of Curie written by her daughter, he uncovered a hidden persona unknown to the world– that Curie cared more about her family than she did about science, despite being known as a cold, albeit brilliant, scientist. Truth Shines, by Eve Steben and Sean Freeman, was inspired by the dichotomy between the public persona and the personal, lesser-known dimension of Curie, as revealed by Watson: the cold scientist versus the loving woman. The blue text of the UV-reactive screen print represents the words the public used to describe her, and the glowing red text is taken from actual words used in private writings between Curie and her family.

About Art with Watson: IBM Watson is a cognitive system that understands, reasons and learns. In the few years Watson has been at work in the world, he’s had one purpose: to augment human ability. To help us make better decisions, do what we do better. Hidden Portraits is a collaboration between Watson and a selection of notable contemporary artists. Those artists used insights uncovered by Watson to create unique and revealing, never-before-possible portraits of influential thinkers. See the art at