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Is Siri Smarter Than Google?

storagedude writes "Google could go the way of the dodo if ultra intelligent electronic agents (UIEA) make their way into the mainstream, according to technology prognosticator Daniel Burrus. Siri is just the first example of how a UIEA could end search as we know it. By leveraging the cloud and supercomputing capabilities, Siri uses natural language search to circumvent the entire Google process. If Burrus is right, we'll no longer have to wade through '30,000,000 returns in .0013 milliseconds' of irrelevant search results."

18 of 366 comments (clear)

  1. hmmm by rainmouse · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Can we mark the OP as flamebait?

    1. Re:hmmm by Nerdfest · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Apple advertising would be closer. The whole idea is completely sill as well, but it makes great advertising for Siri.

  2. Simple answer: no by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    This is a non-story. Next.

  3. Wait a minute by Bruce+Perens · · Score: 5, Insightful
    Forget about leveraging the cloud, AI, all of the wonder of Siri that nobody else has (or some portion of myopic Apple users think nobody else has). Asking Siri something and search by typing a field in a bar are both... search. What looks different is that Siri can take advantage of the semantic web and similar things to read the result to you, and come close to actually understanding what it's doing. But text search can have all of that understanding too.

    Somewhere behind Siri are search engines, and will remain search engines.

    The only thing that's unique about Siri is that the search engine companies can't put their ads in there.

    1. Re:Wait a minute by olsmeister · · Score: 5, Insightful

      The only thing that's unique about Siri is that the search engine companies can't put their ads in there.

      Yet.

    2. Re:Wait a minute by nurb432 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      The only thing that's unique about Siri is that the search engine companies can't put their ads in there.

      Sure they can, by buying a place at the top of the results. Even worse than a traditional ad since you may not even know you are being 'steered' towards a particular product.

      --
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  4. Technology Prognosticator by tool462 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    You mean "bullshit artist" right?

  5. GIGO? by fahrbot-bot · · Score: 5, Insightful

    If Burrus is right, we'll no longer have to wade through '30,000,000 returns in .0013 milliseconds' of irrelevant search results.

    Hmm... If that's your experience, then your search query is way off. Learn to ask better questions. Siri won't help if you're an idiot.

    --
    It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
  6. Re:Voice recognition by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Plus Siri can't work without content. So if everyone is using Siri, why would people create textual content if all ad revenue is circumvented by Siri.

  7. Re:Is she? by iluvcapra · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Or a Yahoo search, whatever your settings may be.

    It seems like the real question is, "Will searching the Internet become less useful in the future, when people have small personal chochkies that know all of their personal preferences, their habits, location and can give them exactly what they want, instead of 400 things that might be, interspersed with dozens of ads."

    Even though Siri needs a search engine to work, it basically commoditizes Google/Yahoo/Bing-type services. I suspect this is why Goog's happy to expend astounding amounts of energy and money to keep Android on phones.

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  8. Obligatory Betteridge's Law Reference... by Almonday · · Score: 5, Insightful

    No.

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    Posterity, my posterior.
  9. Re:Is she? by LoudMusic · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "Will searching the Internet become less useful in the future, when people have small personal chochkies that know all of their personal preferences, their habits, location and can give them exactly what they want, instead of 400 things that might be, interspersed with dozens of ads."

    If you use Google Search while logged in with a Google account they're doing the same thing for you.

    The difference between Siri and what this author is referencing as "Google" is query entry by voice or query entry by keyboard.

    *** News flash, you can enter your query in Google Search with your voice as well. ***

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  10. Interface vs Function by LordLucless · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Siri will replace Google in the same way keyboards have replaced computers. Siri is an interface to search, not a replacement for it.

    --
    Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean there isn't an invisible demon about to eat your face
  11. Re:Is she? by griffjon · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Alternatively, it's been approximately a decade since I went past the first page of google results. Siri basically gives you the same result as "I'm feeling lucky," but we don't actually want google.com to hide all of the second-run results.

    --
    Returned Peace Corps IT Volunteer
  12. Re:Is she? by ozmanjusri · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The real issue is wether mobile device makers will be able to use the fact that they live in their customers pockets to give themselves an upper hand over search engines and Big Data.

    Where do the mobile device makers go to get their information?

    --
    "I've got more toys than Teruhisa Kitahara."
  13. Re:Is she? by dudpixel · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I've used siri a few times on my wife's iphone but it seems to have a lot of trouble understanding me (and others who have a go). I'm in australia so maybe different accents pose a problem (in which case there should be opportunity to "train" her).

    Its also mostly a novelty at the moment - "hey lets see what siri says about this"...

    I do think siri has real-world potential though, and wont be disappearing any time soon.

    As a personal assistant, siri is great. Setting reminders, doing math, navigation (can she do navigation?) - these are all very useful.

    I really dont think siri will replace Google. Siri is not a replacement for search technology and AFAIK contains no new technology for search. Therefore, the article is wrong in saying we wont get hundreds of irrelevant search results. I'd say we'll get the same search results but they'll be spoken instead of "written".

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  14. The real difference is advertising, not keyboard by perpenso · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The difference between Siri and what this author is referencing as "Google" is query entry by voice or query entry by keyboard.

    There is a far more important difference. Google is not getting the opportunity to display the search results, Apple is filtering and doing the presentation, so Google is not getting a chance to display ads.

    This is *critical* because ads are Google's lifeblood. Search, email, social, etc ... they are just vehicles to deliver targeted ads. Google is a targeted advertising company and filters like Siri threaten their core business.

  15. Re:Is she? by Lennie · · Score: 4, Insightful

    And on Android by default that would be ?: Google

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