Future-Predicting Search Engine Reveals Some of the Analytical Tricks Inside Its Crystal Ball

This article is just silly - since the company is still in business, then SURELY the algorithms have predicted wild success for itself? right? RIGHT?!?!

Not quite how financial analysis work, which I am assuming this is a form of.

The problem with predictions is that they will transition from predictions to self full filling statements that change the outcomes. Especially when given in the context of predicting/manipulating financial markets. When more and more buy into the predictions the predictions are more and more accurate as everyone follows them.

I disagree biggin - I don't see how a investment bank believing that a major announcement will happen on a certain date will cause that announcement to happen on that date.

I think biggin is right. For example, if the system predicts a stock will rise 100% within a month and many investment companies buy stock because of the prediction, then the prediction would become true regardless of if there is any good reason for stock price increase or not. So it would become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

biggin has a great point, and slightly creepy. If a large enough majority of companies used it, the predictions would influence investing behavior and marketing choices. This would most likely, as biggin points out, lead to an economic system where the software could basically guide the entire economy in a certain manner. Next step, people start using the software as individuals because of the success it showed in business applications, and after enough entities are tied into it and nearly everyone reacts to it's predictions...the software can, to a point, directly influence society as a whole.

Next thing you know, we get advanced enough for quantum computing...and the **** thing becomes self aware. One day, that thing is going to "predict" SkyNet.

LOL just taking a bit of liberty with the concept...but I still don't like it.

This does seem silly, but how many of these programs are out there collecting data, analyzing, predicting... what program will finally unify this information? It may seem farfetched but we now all have a communicator. Shouldn't we be asking what else they are trying to predict or bring about through self fulfilling prophecy? Will the internet become sentient at some point? What program or combination of programs could correlate all this knowledge and learn from the past? Isaac Asimov wrote about such a computer in "I, Robot". I suggest you read it. I don't like it either, not one bit.

This would most likely, as biggin points out, lead to an economic system where the software could basically guide the entire economy in a certain manner.