“Introducing an Innovative AI Search Engine: A Twist of Human Touch in Answering Queries”
“This New AI Search Engine Has a Gimmick: Humans Answering Questions”
“In the early days of the ARPANET, the predecessor of the internet, researchers knew that the technology they were creating would produce a deluge of information. So they tried to devise ways for people to search it. Forty years later, the internet’s mightiest company is still grappling with that essential problem.” (Wired)
Isn’t it amusing that in an era of ultra-sophisticated technology, we’re still wrangling with the same problems that plagued our past? So, instead of sending humans to Mars, the tech overlords spend time and resources grappling with… a search engine. Enter Neeva, a new AI-powered search engine with a rather quaint twist – it uses humans to answer queries.
Another cute attempt, right? Beginning with a 30-day free trial, users will then be asked to pay $4.95 per month to have their questions answered. While this might feel a bit old school, consider the privacy benefits that come with it. After all, who doesn’t relish the idea of their search queries not being used to bombard them with targeted ads?
Now, before rolling eyes at the thought of paying for a search engine, consider this – Neeva won’t just answer your simple questions like ‘What’s the weather like?’. No, no. It aims higher. For your nearly five bucks a month, you’ll be getting answers to complex queries like ‘What’s the cheapest way to remodel a kitchen?’ All the data woven into a personalised, comprehensive response – it’s like having your own coffee shop barista who doubles up as a contractor and personal accountant.
Sure, Neeva faces major challenges. Competing with the big guns like Google, which has synonymized itself with ‘internet search’, is no small feat. And then, there’s the fundamental challenge of harnessing thousands of human responders to work in harmony with AI technology. But what’s a tech revolution without a few bumps along the way?
Still, there’s an unquestionable charm to Neeva’s hybrid model. Amid growing privacy concerns, offering a search experience sans the lingering worry of personal data exploitation seems appealing. And maybe, it’s time the core function of internet browsing – searching – got a little bit of a personality. So, hats off to Neeva, for having the audacity to challenge the status quo and dare to throw humans back into the search engine equation.
So, here’s to Neeva, and the hope that it manages to solve an age-old internet issue, and also inject a bit of much-needed humanity into the cold, clinical world of search engines. May the much-needed shakeup begin!