The 5 Most Important Ways Search and Artificial Intelligence Can Work Together

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Search and artificial intelligence are two of the most transformative technologies of our time. Together, their potential is amplified. AI can make search faster and more accurate, while search can surface high-value results in response to natural language queries and structured queries alike. When you combine these two technologies, both excel even further: AI gets quicker and even more precise with its searches, while search becomes even more versatile with its insights.

Artificial Intelligence Is Everywhere

Search and AI have been working together since the early days of search engines, but it’s only recently that those efforts have accelerated. Today, AI is present in almost every industry, from healthcare and finance to marketing and eCommerce. AI is also present on almost every device— from smartphones and computers to connected home devices like smart speakers and appliances. Google’s latest effort to bring search and AI together is Google Duplex, a technology that can understand conversation and carry out human tasks over the phone. It’s a way to democratize the power of AI, bringing it to everyone, not just those who have access to algorithms and engineers.

Make Sense of Your Data with Machine Learning

Machine learning is the hot buzzword that’s often used to describe what AI is doing, though the two terms aren’t synonymous. But to understand how AI and search can work together, it helps to know what machine learning is and how it works. Machine learning is the practice of training computer systems with data, so that those systems can then make predictions and solve problems. Say you’re trying to predict when someone will click “buy” for a product online. If you have a massive amount of data about what converts and what doesn’t, you can use that data to train a computer program to predict whether someone will click “buy.” Machine learning is the practice of training computer systems with data, so that those systems can then make predictions and solve problems. As you feed the computer more data, it gets smarter and more precise, so it gets better at predicting. If the computer program is good enough, it can even provide recommendations that you didn’t even know you wanted. Now imagine using machine learning on your search data to understand user behavior and intent. You can use that information to improve search accuracy and surface the right results, making search even more useful.

AI Can Help With Search User Experience

A computer that can understand the language people use in their searches and the context of their search can take those inputs into account when it’s surfacing results — the computer doesn’t have to rely on strict “rules” to return certain kinds of information over others. This means that search can become more precise and tailored to individual users, which makes search even more valuable. AI can also help with search user experience by making search quicker. With AI, search engines don’t have to wait for a human to review results before serving them to a user. In fact, AI can be significantly faster than humans: It can process data at an exponential rate and sort through an incomprehensible amount of information in an instant.

You Can Use AI to Improve Search Accuracy

Accuracy is an essential component of any search engine, but it’s also a major challenge. There are trillions of pieces of content to sort through, and users are relying on search engines to find relevant and accurate information within it. AI can help with search accuracy by understanding user behavior within search and surfacing the most relevant information above the rest. Search engines have tried many different approaches over the years, including using expert human judgment, organizing content hierarchically, and using statistical algorithms. Now, though, search engines are investing in AI to improve how they surface results, with Google’s machine-learning-based RankBrain algorithm the most well-known example.

Summary

Search and AI are two of the most transformative technologies of our time, and when you combine them, both excel even further: AI gets quicker and even more precise with its searches, while search becomes even more versatile with its insights. Artificial intelligence is the practice of training computer systems with data, so that those systems can then make predictions and solve problems. Machine learning is one type of AI. AI can help with search user experience by making search quicker and more precise, while search can surface high-value results in response to natural language queries and structured queries alike. When you combine these two technologies, both excel even further: AI gets quicker and even more precise with its searches, while search becomes even more versatile with its insights.

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