Google to roll out ‘conversational’ way to search Web

The next time you search on Google, you might feel like you’re talking to a person.

The Silicon Valley giant announced that it’s enhancing its search feature to let users vocally ask for answers in a conversational way.

“OK, Google, show me things to do in Santa Cruz,” directed Johanna Wright, the company’s vice president of search and assist for mobile, as she spoke to a massive crowd at Google I/O, the company’s developers conference.

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Google showed her a list of popular activities in the area. She picked one and then asked “How far is it from here?” Google audibly responded and also displayed information showing how far Santa Cruz was from Wright, who was speaking in San Francisco.

Google said conversational search will roll out “soon.” The feature will only be available with Google’s Chrome browser, and of course the computer using it has to have a microphone.

Google also said it will now show more types of information on its predictive search feature called Google Now. That service tries to give users information it thinks they will want before they search for it, and it will now also support information for public transit, music albums, books, TV shows and reminders that they set.

The company also announced that its “Knowledge Graph,” which shows users boxes of information when they make searches about people, places and things in the world, has been improved to give better information.

This feature will also try to give users more information than requested. For example, if you search for the population of Canada, it may also provide you with information for the populations of California and Australia.

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