Google Voice Search now understands superlatives, times and more complex questions

Google has announced that its search engine is getting better at understanding the way people speak and what they say.

Google says that the Google app does this by understanding the meaning of what you are saying, breaking down a query to understand the semantics of each piece. The responses, Google says, to questions will now be focus more on the intent of the entire question.

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The company says that Google Search will now better understand superlatives, times and complicated questions.

“The Google app is starting to truly understand the meaning of what you’re asking. We can now break down a query to understand the semantics of each piece,” writes Satyajeet Salgar, Google Product Manager.

Superlatives like “tallest” and “largest” will be dealt with better now. This enables Google to now answer questions like “Who is the tallest player in the Springboks?” and “What is the largest city in Africa?”

Google says that the search can also better understand time. If for example one asks: “What was the population of Somalia in 2010?”, it will promptly provide you with an answer, pulling data from sources like the World bank before you can blink.

The search can now understand complicated combinations as well. These include questions like “What are some of Seth Gabel’s father-in-law’s movies?”