• Question: Will Google take over our minds?

    Asked by GibGib to Colin, John, Kevin, Shikha, Triona on 13 Nov 2014.
    • Photo: Shikha Sharma

      Shikha Sharma answered on 13 Nov 2014:

      Hi GibGib,
      It is a very interesting question. Today large population of mankind uses google on daily basis, hence it has become an integral part of our life. Today interaction of us with google is primarily limited to search engine. However, in next 3 to 4 years we shall witness significant changes in how our life will interface and use google services.
      Think of Google diagnosing your illness well in advance based on your skin’s temperature, your pulse rate, your glucose level etc; driving your car to school to bring you home while your parents are at work; translating an incomprehensible emergency announcement while you’re riding a train in foreign country; customize audio live commentary based on what you language you understand; taking over the control of your car based on your steering response time and blink rate that you’re no longer fit to drive; Google glasses automatically beaming audio and video to the police when you say a phrase that indicates you’re being mugged. Exciting!!!! It seems google will become your extended mind if not taken over your mind. While will be a huge benefit to your life, you will be knowingly & unknowingly sharing a large amount of your personal details, preferences, tastes, information etc. to google.
      With use of analytical tool google will eventually know you as you know yourself. There will be potential risk of crossing your privacy. Hence you need to be careful about sharing the information or there has to be very strong regulations so that your personal and private information shouldn’t be misused.

    • Photo: Tríona O'Connell

      Tríona O'Connell answered on 17 Nov 2014:

      Nah, I don’t think so, we won’t let them. There’s quite a few people who try to reduce their involvement with google by using different search engines and blocking their ads and finding ways to ensure their privacy. If google succeeds in taking over human minds, I’m hoping that this group will fight for humanity and win (think rebel underdogs in a scifi story).

    • Photo: Kevin Motherway

      Kevin Motherway answered on 19 Nov 2014:

      I hope not or you’d have a very narrow view of the world. Google is not an independent peer reviewed source of data. You can pick up the phone a buy a search term. So I could pay Google maybe €500 so that whenever anyone searches for ” Ireland’s greatest scientist” it could return my website as the number 1 search result! We all know the answer isn’t true, but many people believe that Google returns true and fair answers…..its a business and that’s how it really works! Let’s hope it doesn’t take over more than it already has. 🙂

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