AP Photo/Jeopardy Productions, Inc., Carol Kaelson

Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter, the most successful people to ever be dressed down by Alex Trebek on syndicated television, sure got their butts whupped by Watson, the IBM creation that has most of America withering in fear that the reign of Skynet is looming. Last night, Representatives Rush Holt (D-NJ), Jared Polis (D-CO), Jim Himes (D-CT), Nan Hayworth (R-NY), and Bill Cassidy (R-LA) all had their chance to take on the supercomputer in a few rounds of the popular game show — and Holt actually came out on top. Once. In a series of a few rounds. None of the other legislators even came close.

I know what you’re thinking. Those bums in Congress — of course they couldn’t beat a highly intelligent machine! But check out the margins: according to the Washington Post’s Hayley Tsukayama, the five Congressmen won $30,000 combined during the rounds; Watson alone raked in $40,300. And before you get all “YAY HUMANITY” about Holt’s victory, take into consideration that Holt has actually won on Jeopardy five times. Oh, right, and he’s actually a nuclear physicist, so yeah, he’s way smarter than most of us.

Still, the people of IBM remain completely aloof of — and even excited about! — the terror they’re about the unleash upon the world:

“The practice match with Watson and congressional members tonight is more than a trivia contest,” Christopher Padilla, vice president, IBM governmental programs said in a release. “The technology behind Watson represents a major advancement in computing. In the data-intensive environment of government, this type of technology can help organizations make better decisions and improve how government helps its citizens.”

Right! So, Watson, before you enslave the human race, would you mind sorting out this whole federal budget mess? Thanks in advance!