NEW YORK: Head of Core Ranking Team and Senior Vice President in Google, Amit Singhal, was always fascinated with Star Trek, the magical American fiction TV and (later) movie series about galaxies and spacecraft. He used to imagine about a computer which can give answers to any question you throw at it.
When he joined Google, he knew exactly what he was doing, and in his own words, “I imagined a future where a star ship computer would be able to answer any question I might ask, instantly. We’re closer to that dream than I ever thought possible during my working life,”
At an event organized for the launch of Google’s ‘Indian Language Internet Alliance’ in New Delhi this week, he shared his and Google’s version of the future; wherein a search engine is not merely giving search results but understanding your mind, and delivering result when you want it, where you want it, in the way you want it.
He calls it’s the new-age, ‘Personal Assistant’ empowered with artificial intelligence, delivering ‘knowledge on demand’, even before people know that they want it! Combining Internet, Artificial Intelligence and Computing Power, Google is attempting something which no search engine has ever done.
As per Amit, such a search engine, which can also be labelled as a ‘Digital Personal Assistant’ will enhance the thought process of the user, and enable him to achieve more productivity, and more results instantly.
He said, “These are immensely exciting times with search technology going through an exponential period of change. Ultimately I believe this will give mankind healthier, happier lives, not just through wearable technology, but the sum total of information that will be within our reach to improve lives.”
The incredible technological possibilities shared by Amit Singhal, with respect to Google and search engines on a whole, are not merely words of fiction. Google has been working on this platform, and they are very close at getting solid, tangible results which can change everything.
Last year, Google had joined hands with NASA to launch Quantum Artificial Intelligence Lab, which will research Artificial Intelligence using the super-advanced quantum computers. The lab has been equipped with D-Wave 2 computer which costs around $15 million.
The research which Google is conducting in collaboration with NASA will attempt to understand the contextual meaning of the billions of GB of data which is being collected on a daily basis, and help decision makers to take the right step.
