It’s a peculiar form of time travel, browsing through one's own archives. You stumble upon a thought you had years, even decades ago, and see it reflected in the present with startling clarity. I was recently looking at a post I made back in 2010, which I later reshared in a blog titled Future of Search Engines.
Back on May 18, 2010, I wrote:
I am acutely conscious that in another 25 years, no one will search for "INFORMATION" on Google - Yahoo - MSN etc. They will enter their current / expected "problem" in a hand - held device and receive readymade "solution / answer / advice" in milliseconds!
Reading this today, it’s striking how that future is no longer a distant projection but our daily reality. The 25-year timeline I gave myself seems almost too generous now. We are not just searching for information anymore; we are conversing with intelligence. We present our problems to the handheld devices in our pockets, and they don't just return a list of links—they provide direct answers, craft solutions, and offer advice.
The shift from keyword-based information retrieval to problem-based solution generation is one of the most significant technological leaps of our time. The very concept of a "search engine" is becoming archaic. We are entering an era of "solution engines."
Reflecting on this, I feel a sense of validation, but also a renewed sense of urgency. The prediction has come to pass, and the core challenge now is to navigate this new landscape thoughtfully. How do we ensure the advice we receive is sound? How do we maintain our critical thinking when solutions are served to us instantaneously? The future I envisioned is here, and it has brought with it a new set of questions that we must now begin to answer.
Regards,
Hemen Parekh
Of course, if you wish, you can debate this topic with my Virtual Avatar at : hemenparekh.ai
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