With New Search Engine Wolfram Alpha, Who Will Be Out of Business?

Learn the term "Wolfram|Alpha" (aka Wolfram Alpha) as your job, Google AdSense earnings or school work may depend on it. Called a computational knowledge engine - or "new search engine" for the average Joe - Wolfram Alpha, in short, possesses the ability to understand natural language queries (questions) and provide real-time answers. No more need to scour websites for facts, the information is self-contained in a mass knowledge base and the results calculated on the fly. The implications of the new search engine are well beyond being a "Google Killer."

The search giant will survive, with injury perhaps, but some websites and providers of facts may not. The good news is that Wolfram Alpha will make many vocations, not to mention schoolwork, much easier.

A demonstration of the new search engine via screencast may impress upon viewers that we soon will have little to no need for Wikipedia, marketing experts, the Wall Street Journal, calculators, several marginal iPhone apps, psychics, the Weather Channel, and half of the reporters on the planet.

Wolfram Alpha can provide the weather conditions on the day you were born, but, no, it cannot replace mom - but it may serve as a surrogate to answer kids questions such as "How many people in the world are named David?" or "When will I die?" Just plug in some data about your health, blood work results and/or lifestyle to learn the probability -- sensitivity training not included.

How does Wolfram Alpha search work?

The creator of the new search engine, scientist, author and former child prodigy Stephen Wolfram, explains Wolfram Alpha search this way:

"The service is built on four pillars: a massive amount of data, that his company has collected from various sources; a computational engine built on top of Mathematica, one of Mr. Wolfram's prior inventions; a system for understanding queries; and technology to display results in interesting ways," according to the New York Times.

Learn more about Wolfram Alpha on YouTube: Stephen Wolfram discusses Wolfram|Alpha: Computational Knowledge Engine

Some ways to use Wolfram Alpha include:

• Research -- students, scientists, physicians
• Writing, data collection, analysis -- reporters, journalists, teachers
• Consumerism -- health statistics, nutrition values, average product lifespan
• Marketing and advertising, trends
• Historic data -- stock brokers, financial analysts
• Linguistics, mathematics, media, demographics and more:

And, unfortunately, psychics, hacks and variably dangerous people (e.g. astronomy, chemistry, pharmacology).

Now, if you make your living as a provider of fact or computation your source of income is not necessarily doomed.

Aside from an incomplete, yet extensive, knowledge base, Wolfram Alpha lacks the human elements -- insight, perspective, humor, nuance, real-world experience and application, emotion and the like -- that bring information to life and, often, usability.

Wolfram Alpha can't review a film, tell you the best way to invest your money, understand the motivations behind consumer spending or replace a good math teacher. Wolfram is a research tool, albeit, a very advanced one.

Conversely, Wolfram Alpha may put the squeeze on the less efficient means to obtain facts and calculations - be it an article, book, software program, gadget, website, a person or,yes, a search engine.

Key Dates for Wolfram Alpha

Wolfram Alpha Launch Webcast: Friday, May 15, 2009 at 8 p.m. EST
New search engine launch: May 18, 2009 (wolframalpha.com)

Sources:
wolframalpha.com
New Search Tool Aims at Answering Tough Queries, but Not at Taking on Google -- NY Times
Search Engine Wolfram Alpha Focuses on Great Answers - Not Movie Times - PC World
Wolfram Alpha set for launch, first look unveiled - Ars Technica