Is Google Planning To Tap Into Your Brain?

Writing by Nick Stamoulis Tweet

I love this little insight from Frank Reed on an interview conducted by TechCrunch with Erick Schmidt, CEO of Google.

Schmidt says the long-term goal of Google is to give searchers one answer to their questions instead of a list of web pages you can visit. I don’t like that idea for a number of reasons, and none of them have to do with privacy (the joke is about tapping into your brain and providing the best response for what you were actually thinking).

First, it’s impractical to think that one answer is going to solve all of a searcher’s problems. Most likely not. Searchers, just like the search engines, are getting more sophisticated in their approach to search. In turn, search engine optimization experts are getting more sophisticated. The whole field of search is growing daily. But I doubt that we’ll ever arrive at a place to where a searcher says, “How much of …” or “What is …” and then one definitive answer pops up.

Want an example? How’s this:

I want to know who the best auto mechanic in my neighborhood is. So I type in “Who’s the best auto mechanic in Medford Massachusetts”. What would Google have to do to answer that question with a single answer? Well, they’d have to know who all the mechanics are, the professional training level of those mechanics, the experience each of those mechanics have in the field, and what color shirt he is wearing (just kidding). The question is further complicated by the fact that some mechanics specialize (foreign cars, large trucks, GMs, etc.). Maybe one mechanic would be best if I was interested in having my Porsche worked on and another if my pickup needed nursing. Or perhaps one mechanic is great at oil changes and another is better for transmission overhauls. See how complicated that can get?

I’m not saying search couldn’t get better than it is now. I am saying that I’m not sure that I’d always want a one answer search result. I like the idea of the search engine giving me several alternatives and letting me pick the one that is best for my intent. After all, even if Google could tap into my brain, I’m not sure I’d want them to. There are things in there I might not want them to see.