WHAT are we to make of the news that internet giants are racing to build systems that automatically answer questions delivered in everyday language? Can such "answer engines" really deliver knowledge, not just information (see "Why Google will soon answer your questions directly")?
If so, will they become as integral to internet use as search engines are today? Will your phone offer better advice than your family and friends? Should we heed those who will inevitably warn that our sense of curiosity will be destroyed?
Will answer engines attempt to address the big questions of life, or just the little ones? How will they tell a sincere question from a loaded one, a plea for help from an idle query? And will they ever understand that for humans, asking the question is sometimes more important than getting an answer?
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