Google will tap into our brains

Google will tap into our brains | The Courier-Mail

Chris Pepper

September 14, 2008 12:00am

INTERNET giant Google has predicted a future in which the ultimate search engine can read our thoughts with computers eventually having a sixth sense.

The company also revealed it aims to make people's documents and photos available to them anywhere in the world via cyberspace.

In an exclusive interview with The Sunday Mail, one of Google's senior Australian executives outlined its startling vision for its future.

Alan Noble, engineering director for Sydney-based Google Australia, predicted computers will eventually have a sixth sense to read our thoughts.

"We think web search is, at best, 10 per cent solved," he said. "The holy grail of searches is you walk up to your computer, and it tells you what you want even before you think about it."

But do not expect this technology in the shops soon.

"We're a long, long away from that," he said.

But the internet site that can already peer down from space and into the front yard of homes has immediate ambitious missions.

Mr Noble said Google wanted to organise the world's information and make it universally accessible.

"Users are crying out for better control over their documents, their photos, their accounts and emails," he said.

"The historical way of doing that is having information scattered around your PC.

"The information explosion has become unwieldy for people, so that's really driving people to our new online products."

The internet revolution – in which Google has gone from being unknown to one of the most instantly recognised brands within a decade – will continue to surprise.