Siri横空出世，谷歌面临威胁

    现在，苹果已经找到了一种方法，它将以同样深刻的方式来推动搜索的发展：这种方法就是Siri。它没有可供键入关键词的搜索框，使用者只需发问即可。用语音激活进行搜索的设想由来已久。Nuance 通讯公司（Nuance Communications）拥有据称驱动Siri的技术。长期以来，它一直在销售可通过语音浏览网络的的“龙”（Dragon）语音识别软件。而谷歌的移动搜索程序也可在搜索框中输入语音问询。

    但Siri绝不仅仅只是语音识别技术。它是一种人工智能形式，只需要再向前走几步，就是一款能通过图灵测试（Turing test，一个关于机器人是否具有人类智能的著名判断原则——译注）的程序了。有些可能会被误认为是人类的人工智能程序仍然让人感到不自在，但是苹果公司悄悄植入程序的大量备选答案却绝不会让人感到别扭。实际上，这让Siri拥有了人机对话界面，与谷歌简陋的主页相比，它给人的感觉要更为人性化。

    正是这个人机对话界面对谷歌构成了威胁。iPhone 4S上的前端搜索再也不是搜索框了。谷歌变成了后端技术，突然间变得不那么显要了。更确切地说，它成了后端技术之一。因为类似Yelp和Wolfram|Alpha这样的专业搜索正在崛起，Siri完全可以轻易绕过谷歌的搜索算法，去执行众多的搜索任务。

    还有一个原因让谷歌对Siri感到忧心忡忡：这是目前最贴近大众消费市场的一款手机软件。多年来，谷歌始终将自己打造成一家位于人工智能领域前沿的技术型公司。早在2004年，谷歌的谢尔盖•布林就畅谈了人工智能的未来。他称，人工智将来将允许人类对手机说出“自己想要搜索的内容，然后就能获得答案。”谷歌曾经抢在苹果之前率先实现了这个目标，但是现在苹果却已经将门槛大大提高了。

    谷歌将搜索视为进入人工智能领域的入口。苹果则换了一种方式来看待它——Siri的人工智能是其帮助人们遨游网络的方法。问题并非Siri是否将成为取代谷歌搜索框的搜索引擎。它完全是另一种搜索，换言之，它是搜索的未来。

    毫无疑问，谷歌会携自己的人工智能创新成果回到搜索领域。这就是为什么Siri不能称之为谷歌杀手。实际上，它将成为谷歌核心市场的竞争对手。这两家公司都将决定我们在手机上寻找信息的方式。这意味着，未来几年，搜索行业将迎来一些有趣的变化。

    译者：清远

    Now Apple has found a way to advance search in an equally dramatic way: Siri. There's no search box to type into. You just ask. The idea of voice-activated search has been around for some time. Nuance Communications (NUAN), whose technology reportedly powers Siri, has long sold its Dragon voice-recognition software that can surf the web by voice. And Google's mobile search app can type spoken queries into its search box.

    But Siri is more than voice recognition. It's a form of AI that takes a few more steps closer to an app that could pass the Turing test. People are still uncomfortable with any AI application that could be mistaken for a human, but the Easter-egg answers Apple has snuck into the app defuses any potential discomfort, and in fact gives Siri a conversational interface that feels far more personal that Google's spartan home page.

    It's that conversational interface that poses the threat to Google. No longer is the search box the front-end of searches on the iPhone 4S. Google is the back-end technology that is suddenly less visible. Or rather, one of the back ends. Because of the rise of specialized searches like Yelp and Wolfram|Alpha, Siri can easily bypass Google's search algorithms for many queries.

    Google has another reason to be worried about Siri: It's the closest thing we have to a mass-market phone app. For years, Google cast itself as a tech company at the forefront of artificial intelligence. Back in 2004, Google's Sergey Brin talked about a future where AI would let you say into a phone "what you want to search for, and it will be pulled up." Google reached that goal before Apple did, but now Apple has raised the bar much higher.

    Google saw search as an entry point into artificial intelligence. Apple saw it the other way around -- Siri's AI was its way of helping people navigate the web. The question isn't whether Siri is a search engine that can replace Google's search box. It's a different kind of search -- that is, it's the future of search.

    Google will no doubt come back with its own AI innovations to search. That's why Siri won't be a Google killer. It will instead be a Google competitor in Google's core market. Both companies will shape how we find information on our phones, which means the search industry is about to see some interesting changes in the coming years.