I think the next big advance in search AI won't happen until we figure out a better way of organizing data. I had an idea in 2000 for a new kind of GPS. The t

I think the next big advance in search AI won't happen until we figure out a better way of organizing data. I had an idea in 2000 for a new kind of GPS. The technology existed back then, but until now the data is missing (we're gradually getting there). If every brick and mortar store fed an XML feed of inventory and prices to a central service (probably Google), you could tie that to location data and have a GPS that let you search by product and price rather than store name or address. Let's say you're looking for a charging cable for an iPod. Instead of navigating to the nearest Fry's Electronics, you would type in "iPod charger" and sort by price or distance. The results might surprise you...it turns out TJ Maxx has them for $0.99. Now, if we could just get the stores to give up that data!