????現(xiàn)在，蘋果已經找到了一種方法，它將以同樣深刻的方式來推動搜索的發(fā)展：這種方法就是Siri。它沒有可供鍵入關鍵詞的搜索框，使用者只需發(fā)問即可。用語音激活進行搜索的設想由來已久。Nuance 通訊公司（Nuance Communications）擁有據(jù)稱驅動Siri的技術。長期以來，它一直在銷售可通過語音瀏覽網絡的的“龍”（Dragon）語音識別軟件。而谷歌的移動搜索程序也可在搜索框中輸入語音問詢。

????但Siri絕不僅僅只是語音識別技術。它是一種人工智能形式，只需要再向前走幾步，就是一款能通過圖靈測試（Turing test，一個關于機器人是否具有人類智能的著名判斷原則——譯注）的程序了。有些可能會被誤認為是人類的人工智能程序仍然讓人感到不自在，但是蘋果公司悄悄植入程序的大量備選答案卻絕不會讓人感到別扭。實際上，這讓Siri擁有了人機對話界面，與谷歌簡陋的主頁相比，它給人的感覺要更為人性化。

????正是這個人機對話界面對谷歌構成了威脅。iPhone 4S上的前端搜索再也不是搜索框了。谷歌變成了后端技術，突然間變得不那么顯要了。更確切地說，它成了后端技術之一。因為類似Yelp和Wolfram|Alpha這樣的專業(yè)搜索正在崛起，Siri完全可以輕易繞過谷歌的搜索算法，去執(zhí)行眾多的搜索任務。

????還有一個原因讓谷歌對Siri感到憂心忡忡：這是目前最貼近大眾消費市場的一款手機軟件。多年來，谷歌始終將自己打造成一家位于人工智能領域前沿的技術型公司。早在2004年，谷歌的謝爾蓋?布林就暢談了人工智能的未來。他稱，人工智將來將允許人類對手機說出“自己想要搜索的內容，然后就能獲得答案?！惫雀柙洆屧谔O果之前率先實現(xiàn)了這個目標，但是現(xiàn)在蘋果卻已經將門檻大大提高了。

????谷歌將搜索視為進入人工智能領域的入口。蘋果則換了一種方式來看待它——Siri的人工智能是其幫助人們遨游網絡的方法。問題并非Siri是否將成為取代谷歌搜索框的搜索引擎。它完全是另一種搜索，換言之，它是搜索的未來。

????毫無疑問，谷歌會攜自己的人工智能創(chuàng)新成果回到搜索領域。這就是為什么Siri不能稱之為谷歌殺手。實際上，它將成為谷歌核心市場的競爭對手。這兩家公司都將決定我們在手機上尋找信息的方式。這意味著，未來幾年，搜索行業(yè)將迎來一些有趣的變化。

????譯者：清遠

????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.