How does Google 'read' you every time you search?

Searching Google has become a daily reflex for billions of people. But strangely, as time goes on, people rarely need to type in the full phrase they’re thinking of. Just the first few characters, Google suggests results that are surprisingly accurate.

What's going on behind that simple search bar?

How does Google guess keywords?

Since 2004, Google has offered autocomplete, which makes suggestions based on phrases that millions of people have typed. When you type the first few words like 'how to' or 'how to cook', the system will show you the most popular results related to it.

But these suggestions aren't the same for everyone. Google also takes into account your location, the device you're using, the time of day, and the language you're displaying in.

For example, when you search for 'weather', the results might be ' Hanoi weather' if you are in the North, or 'Saigon weather' if you are in the South. The same word 'football', but if you search on a Saturday night, the results might prioritize matches that are currently playing.

Additionally, if you log in to your account, the system will use your search history to personalize suggestions. Someone who searches for vegetarian dishes will see different results than someone who searches for grilled dishes, even if they both start with the phrase 'how to cook'.

The brain behind the search bar

Behind every suggestion is an incredibly complex analytics system. Every day, Google processes billions of queries and continuously learns from user habits to make the most relevant suggestions.

According to Tuoi Tre Online , in 2015, Google deployed an artificial intelligence system called RankBrain. This technology helps analyze the context and relationships between words in a sentence, instead of just looking at individual words.

After that, Google continued to develop two new technologies, BERT and MUM, to help improve the ability to understand natural language.

In simple terms, BERT helps Google understand questions the way humans would say them, even if they are unclear or imprecise. MUM is a more modern step forward, allowing the system to understand not only text, but also images, audio, and many different languages.

This allows Google to process complex questions from multiple perspectives, rather than just comparing keywords.

Not only does Google understand better, it also reacts in real time. If you search for 'football finals', it will prioritize matches that are currently taking place over results from last year. When there are natural disasters, breaking news events, or social trends, search results are also updated instantly to match the real-time situation.

When Google understands too well: convenient or worrying?

Google guessing what you're looking for is a huge convenience, saving you time and effort, especially when you're in a hurry.

However, to do that, Google needs to collect a lot of personal information: where you are, what you've searched for, what devices you use. This makes many people worried about privacy when every action can be tracked.

In fact, Google does provide tools for users to control their data: from turning off search history, limiting personalization, to deleting all saved information.

Even though search technology is getting smarter, you should still proactively learn how to control your personal data to use the service more safely and comfortably.