Tomás J. Torres Gutiérrez
INF-102 Section 1
Google Introduces New Search Tools to Try to Read Our Minds
Google announced the creation of new search tools with a unique feature; their capabilities to endeavor to read the users’ minds. They work in the following manner. When a user sets forth a question in addition to answering, also, it tries to anticipate what will be the user’s next questions and answer them. As an example, if a user inquires about India’s population in addition to answering the question it will furnish China’s and the United States populations. Due to the fact that, usually, these are the most frequent sought information. These new search tools are an appendage to the existing search product “Google’s Knowledge Graph”. This distinct tool strives at deciphering the inherent meaning of things versus just keywords.
Likewise, “Google Now”, this is a search tool that provides its users traffic and weather information prior to being requested, is partaking of the above-mentioned feature. Google has incremented the amount of entertainment alerts that its users receive. Like, for example, more new music alerts that emanate from the videos that users watch on YouTube. Further, “Google Now” is transforming into an automated things to-do list. As an example, the user can instruct Google to buy some item, for example milk, and as you enter a supermarket an alert will emerge on your cellular phone.
Furthermore, Google has augmented its efforts towards transforming users’ searches into conversational commands. It is its prime purpose that people verbally communicate with their electronic search devices and listen to the answers instead of reading them. Recently, Google divulged that users’ can verbally request to its “Chrome Browser” to perform searches by saying “O.K. Google.” In the same manner, Google is able and capable of utilizing a location in order to answer pertinent questions based upon information contained within that location. Accordingly, Google does pull out information from users Gmail and employ it in search outcomes.
Consequently, Google, recently, revised its privacy policy, last year, to encompass its right to utilize all information kept at any of its services in some other type of service that it provides.
The most pertinent ethical issue that emanates from the above-summarized news encompasses the issue of the right of privacy. A vast amount of society’s members are apprehensive and seriously concerned about machines (computers) and software that strive upon understanding and precisely predicting a person’s behavioral pattern. Even more, they are extremely adamant about the notion of machines and software capabilities, availabilities and intentions in predicting the inner thoughts of a person. They are entice to conclude that such technological endeavor minimizes and/or degrades the uniqueness that set humans apart from other animal species. Further, they tend to feel that such project invalidates the premise that each individual in society is complex, distinct, singular and different. It downgrades humans distinctive position as “Supreme Intelligent Beings” in the animal and botanical ambiance to just a simple predictable specie. It is as if humans are basic living organisms that lack complexity.
There is a second ethical issue in pursuance to the above reviewed newspaper article. Many scholars have expressed that the ability, capability and power to predetermine a person’s response to a particular stimuli and further predict with preciseness the chain of thoughts that will followed lend itself to be manipulated to the advantage of those few whom may possess such advance technology. Heretofore, these newly obtained capabilities and abilities may be aimed at eliciting a precise behavior in order to achieve a much desired conduct and result that will enhance the power and gain of the manipulator.
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