IBM's Watson named 'person' of the year by Webbys

June 2, 2011 By JAKE COYLE , AP Entertainment Writer

IBM's Watson named 'person' of the year by Webbys (AP)

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This Jan. 13, 2011 file photo provided by IBM shows the IBM computer system known as Watson at IBM's T.J. Watson research center in Yorktown Heights, N.Y. Watson, best known for handily defeating the world's best "Jeopardy!" players on TV earlier this year, has been named person of the year by the Webby Awards. Awards will be handed out June 13 at the 15th annual Webby Awards, hosted by Lisa Kudrow. (AP Photo/IBM)

(AP) -- The "Jeopardy"-playing IBM computer Watson has been named person of the year by the Webby Awards.

The Webbys, which honor Internet achievement, announced their special honorees Thursday.

The recently disbanded rock group LCD Soundsystem was chosen artist of the year. The band presented their final concert at Madison Square Garden in a live webcast in April.

"It Gets Better Project" founder Dan Savage will be honored for special achievement. Savage's online video campaign has urged young people to stand up to bullying against lesbian, bisexual, gay and transgender teens.

Director Adam McKay and Chris Henchy, co-founders of the comedy website Funny or Die, will be honored as film and video person of the year. In the earlier-announced Webby winners, Funny or Die led with a total of nine awards.

Martin Cooper, a former Motorola executive who's considered the father of the mobile phone, will be given a Webby for lifetime achievement.

The 15th annual ceremony is June 13, hosted by Lisa Kudrow. The show will stream live on numerous outlets, including via Facebook, the Huffington Post and Funny or Die.

©2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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