I know that a number of us have seen plenty of those futuristic sci-fi flicks where we have robot helpers, people are either partially, or completely cybernetic, and we can control computers with a single thought, without even using your hands. Wouldn’t that be crazy? I wouldn’t put it past the human race for us to eventually get to the point where technology is so advanced that we ourselves have become a part of that technology.
Did you know that Sergey Brin said once that he wanted Google to be “the third half of your brain?” There was even a discussion about a future where Google could anticipate your questions and answer them before you even get to your computer and do a search query for them. After all, some expect that brain implants to connect people to the web by 2020.
The first thing I think of when I think of this level of computers and technology is the old series, Ghost In The Shell, written by Masamune Shirow. In the anime (that would be Japanese animation for those not in the know) you could hack straight into your brain and communicate over the internet using just your thoughts. You could do internet searches, drive cars (Google driven cars anyone?) and many other things with only your brain at the helm.
Ramez Naam, a person who helped to bring Bing to us from the early days, and a science fiction writer, has thought about the possible future where neural implant technology could potentially impact the future of search. Can you imagine Googling…with just your mind? I wonder how that would impact SEO…..
To check out Ramez’s post, I’ve included the link to his Search Engine Land post below. What sort of futuristic things would you want to do if you were implanted with neural implants in your brains?
Search Engine Land: When Google’s In Your Brain