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A not-so-subtle reading shows Google is doubling down on ecommerce applications here: > It could also understand that, in the context of hiking, to “prepare” c

A not-so-subtle reading shows Google is doubling down on ecommerce applications here: > It could also understand that, in the context of hiking, to “prepare” could include things like fitness training as well as finding the right gear. > fall is the rainy season on Mt. Fuji so you might need a waterproof jacket. > MUM could also surface helpful subtopics for deeper exploration — like the top-rated gear or best training exercises > you might see results like where to enjoy the best views of the mountain, onsen in the area and popular souvenir shops Or, my favorite line: > MUM would understand the image and connect it with your question to let you know your boots would work just fine. It could then point you to a blog with a list of recommended gear. (in other words: "Thanks for showing you're interested in hiking gear. Here's a lot of hiking gear you can buy.")

colordrops 5y ago
Another not-so-subtle reading shows google doubling down on being "responsible" which has a lot of collateral damage when they block or de-emphasize legitimate results that don't fit their own goals.
- sangnoir 5y ago
  It rings a little hollow when they fired members of/disbanded their nominally independent internal ML Ethics unit after a member published a paper raising some flags on the kind of models Google is betting its future on.
  - dragonwriter 5y ago
    “Responsible” AI was what Google invented after the Ethical AI purge. The appearance is that it’s about AI being responsible for advancing corporate image and interests.
    - aabhay 5y ago
      It’s also just a huge step back from ‘ethical’. Responsible implies one can hide behind ‘technical limitations’ or ‘business concerns’. It means you took the unethical option but you at least weighed the pros and cons first
rexreed 5y ago
There's an even bigger picture than possibly monetizing ecommerce revenue (through... ads?). The biggest impact is that they get to use all the content generated on the Internet to create these search "results" that synthesize information from multiple sources without ever having to share traffic or ad revenue with those content sources. Clever.
- judge2020 5y ago
  This really is a section that needs regulation. You basically have to use and allow Google to crawl your site if you want a website findable by 95%+ of Americans, so websites really should be able to tell google how they're allowed to use the scraped data instead of just 'for anything'. Maybe a meta tag would work well.
  - cma 5y ago
    Should human experts, like someone preparing a blog post on gear, also have to pay all the blogs and books they read in their research?
    - lumost 5y ago
      There is a reasonable risk that future research material will not be publicly available by the traditional copyright system. Effectively an "uber" google could leverage all previous content to answer your query severely limiting the utility of producing any new content or maintaining accessibility to pre-existing content. If you break the distribution model of content producers there won't be any new content, and the old content will simply rot away.
      - thanhhaimai 5y ago
        Record disks broke the distribution of taverns and pubs. Radio broke the distribution model of record disks. YouTube broke the distribution model of old content producers. People still make music and more content than ever before. People are not gonna suddenly stop generating knowledge because of Wikipedia. The prediction that "there won't be any new content" is hyperbolic and just plain wrong as demonstrated by history.
derefr 5y ago
I don’t know if it’s “e-commerce” specifically, or just a more general fact that Google own a search engine, and want to surface URLs from their index as answers to questions, when appropriate. And, when you think about it, why would you be linking to a page — rather than giving a straightforward answer — unless you’re linking to a product page / review / other page that offers you a direct means of solving a problem that goes beyond a conversational answer?
- floatrock 5y ago
  > unless you’re linking to a product page / review / other page that offers you a direct means of solving a problem Embedded in this answer seems to be the mindset that only buying things will solve problems. Don't get me wrong -- I'm not a consumerist luddite, I use my credit card points like any good and proper citizen -- but when your mindset is "all problems can be solved by buying more shit", well, that's a pretty lonely existence. Google's gotta make money, and helping people buy useful shit is a fine way of doing it, but just don't fall into the mindset trap that everything solution in life is just a Google Pay away.
  - derefr 5y ago
    No, let me rephrase: often, problems can be solved with words. In those cases, the conversational agent wouldn't link to anything. It would just solve your problem. But if a problem being solved necessitates linking to something, then what kind of problem is that likely to be? Usually one where you need to stare at something, mull over a bunch of details, and make a decision. What kinds of webpages are those? Usually — for public clients — those are product pages. (Another potential use-case is that a conversational agent could help people configure to software/services by deep-linking to configuration screens — but that's not really a thing Google Search could integrate with.)
glenstein 5y ago
I don't think the language you've quoted was explicitly intended that way. But I think you're onto something. I think high-context answers open up all kinds of new contextual surfaces where ads can be placed, products + product categories suggested.
zepto 5y ago
The Google of the future is a conversation with a salesman.
- tachyonbeam 5y ago
  Or maybe it's a personal assistant that lives in your phone and asks you how you're doing everyday, acts like a friend, inquires about your mental health and well-being... And then subtly nudges you in the direction of buying X,Y,Z thing or service to help you fill that existential void in your life.
  - zepto 5y ago
    A digital cult leader that can talk to everyone in the world!

colordrops 5y ago

Another not-so-subtle reading shows google doubling down on being "responsible" which has a lot of collateral damage when they block or de-emphasize legitimate results that don't fit their own goals.

sangnoir 5y ago
It rings a little hollow when they fired members of/disbanded their nominally independent internal ML Ethics unit after a member published a paper raising some flags on the kind of models Google is betting its future on.
- dragonwriter 5y ago
  “Responsible” AI was what Google invented after the Ethical AI purge. The appearance is that it’s about AI being responsible for advancing corporate image and interests.
  - aabhay 5y ago
    It’s also just a huge step back from ‘ethical’. Responsible implies one can hide behind ‘technical limitations’ or ‘business concerns’. It means you took the unethical option but you at least weighed the pros and cons first

rexreed 5y ago

There's an even bigger picture than possibly monetizing ecommerce revenue (through... ads?). The biggest impact is that they get to use all the content generated on the Internet to create these search "results" that synthesize information from multiple sources without ever having to share traffic or ad revenue with those content sources. Clever.

judge2020 5y ago
This really is a section that needs regulation. You basically have to use and allow Google to crawl your site if you want a website findable by 95%+ of Americans, so websites really should be able to tell google how they're allowed to use the scraped data instead of just 'for anything'. Maybe a meta tag would work well.
- cma 5y ago
  Should human experts, like someone preparing a blog post on gear, also have to pay all the blogs and books they read in their research?
  - lumost 5y ago
    There is a reasonable risk that future research material will not be publicly available by the traditional copyright system. Effectively an "uber" google could leverage all previous content to answer your query severely limiting the utility of producing any new content or maintaining accessibility to pre-existing content. If you break the distribution model of content producers there won't be any new content, and the old content will simply rot away.
    - thanhhaimai 5y ago
      Record disks broke the distribution of taverns and pubs. Radio broke the distribution model of record disks. YouTube broke the distribution model of old content producers. People still make music and more content than ever before. People are not gonna suddenly stop generating knowledge because of Wikipedia. The prediction that "there won't be any new content" is hyperbolic and just plain wrong as demonstrated by history.

derefr 5y ago

I don’t know if it’s “e-commerce” specifically, or just a more general fact that Google own a search engine, and want to surface URLs from their index as answers to questions, when appropriate. And, when you think about it, why would you be linking to a page — rather than giving a straightforward answer — unless you’re linking to a product page / review / other page that offers you a direct means of solving a problem that goes beyond a conversational answer?

floatrock 5y ago
> unless you’re linking to a product page / review / other page that offers you a direct means of solving a problem Embedded in this answer seems to be the mindset that only buying things will solve problems. Don't get me wrong -- I'm not a consumerist luddite, I use my credit card points like any good and proper citizen -- but when your mindset is "all problems can be solved by buying more shit", well, that's a pretty lonely existence. Google's gotta make money, and helping people buy useful shit is a fine way of doing it, but just don't fall into the mindset trap that everything solution in life is just a Google Pay away.
- derefr 5y ago
  No, let me rephrase: often, problems can be solved with words. In those cases, the conversational agent wouldn't link to anything. It would just solve your problem. But if a problem being solved necessitates linking to something, then what kind of problem is that likely to be? Usually one where you need to stare at something, mull over a bunch of details, and make a decision. What kinds of webpages are those? Usually — for public clients — those are product pages. (Another potential use-case is that a conversational agent could help people configure to software/services by deep-linking to configuration screens — but that's not really a thing Google Search could integrate with.)

glenstein 5y ago

I don't think the language you've quoted was explicitly intended that way. But I think you're onto something. I think high-context answers open up all kinds of new contextual surfaces where ads can be placed, products + product categories suggested.

zepto 5y ago

The Google of the future is a conversation with a salesman.

tachyonbeam 5y ago
Or maybe it's a personal assistant that lives in your phone and asks you how you're doing everyday, acts like a friend, inquires about your mental health and well-being... And then subtly nudges you in the direction of buying X,Y,Z thing or service to help you fill that existential void in your life.
- zepto 5y ago
  A digital cult leader that can talk to everyone in the world!