Today marks another milestone for San Francisco based contextual search engine Powerset. They’ve launched a showcase for their user search experience - effectively the search engine minus the web crawl. For now, Powerset queries only Wikipedia and augments results with data from Freebase. The product launch comes just a day after reports that the company is being shopped to potential buyers by investment bank Allen & Co.
I have been able to test Powerset via their labs site for the last few weeks. I wrote about it last month, and the version that just launched is very similar.
There is no way to look at Powerset today and determine if it can be as disruptive to search as Google was when it launched almost a decade ago. That’s because it only queries Wikipedia, and so there is little need for proper ranking algorithms to sort the good from the bad results.
But what user can see is how effective a way it is to gather information quickly. For someone doing research, Powerset effectively removes a number of steps towards getting to the final information. It is particularly effective when the information needed is on many different web pages.
For example, a query on Powerset of “when did earthquakes hit tokyo” yields stunning results. Try this query at Google or even wikipedia to compare - instead of just picking out keywords that are in your query and on a web page, Powerset is actually making some sense of the content included in the wikipedia pages:
The way that Powerset returns queries means that answers are often found in the result snips, as above. They are also structuring a lot of the Wikipedia and (and already structured Freebase) data and inserting it into results. So a search for “Bill Clinton” shows results, but also shows Freebase structured data along with additional query refinements to get to more information. The important thing below isn’t the structured data in the results, its the fact that you can click on the action words and drill down into very specific queries (to find, for example, what bills he signed, or which Supreme Court justices he nominated, or who he slept with).
Powerset is indexing web pages much differently than normal search engines, which generally just record content to match against keyword queries. Instead, Powerset is trying to understand the content on the page so that it can be matched meaningfully to queries later. Even queries that don’t use matching words.
Indexing the web is expensive, though, and Powerset’s way of doing it requires even more time and computing power dedicated to a web page. That’s why they say they aren’t indexing the entire web yet - the company has raised just $12.5 million (plus another $8 million or so in bridge loans from investors). To index the web will require a new round of financing (see the first paragraph above about their sale/financing efforts).
Powerset is has taken a lot of criticism for their goal of trying to redefine how people search the web (including from us). But their lofty goals are what makes Silicon Valley so great - succeed or fail, Powerset is trying to do something pretty spectacular.
The company has also created a demo overview video - see below.
This looks great… can’t wait to try it!
Any idea when a test drive will be forthcoming?
Thanks
It’s live right now: http://www.powerset.com
Looks promising…
My first search was extremely slow though. Maybe just a little techcrunch effect.
hmmm I’m not too impressed. They need to open it up to other sources to become useful…
Nice UI and the results are presented very nicely but I get pretty much identical results if I do a site search through Google. Nice to see that they got rid of that weird logo.
It’s better to come out with a strong showing for specific use, than a weak one for a lot of different uses.
site is very slow and did not impress me. i like a clean look seo this is poorly designed for my taste
just test “where is Paris” and “What is Madonna first name”…not impressed.
Is this is what they have done after raising $12.5 million (or more?)?
I tried this query: “which presidents were assassinated?”. Result is useless compared to Google results.
<>
This actually made me laugh even though I was in a pretty serious mood.
If all it took was more funding Google would have had the solution ready last year.
Powerset doesn’t have a monopoly on genius. No one has an absolute upper edge here.
What it takes is the eventual/gradual move to a more structured Web, but I agree that Powerset is better positioned than Google (less legacy code and better timed entry) to take advantage of the more structured Web that will emerge.
More funding is only going to dilute the owners. I say sell.
Google beater… dream on. Try this simple test:
Who is the prime minister of Canada
http://www.powerset.com/explor.....=0&y=0
now try on google for a really stunning result:
http://www.google.ca/search?q=.....=firefox-a
@10, 11
Try using normal keyword-based query
I have no idea why these guys keep trying to show that they have AI Complete NLP for queries. No one does. No one will for a long time. I’ve never used Powerset, but if you try keyword-based queries then it should work better than a Google search of Wikipedia.
Else, the $12.5M would have been better spent on Falafel
First feature lacking [which I thought should work, or be available in theory]:
Results, which have date information, should be sorted accordingly.
e.g. a query, such as “films starring edward norton by date,” should automatically bring up the freebase results, sorted by date, not sorted arbitrarily.
In my opinion that’s pretty basic. And I am sure I can come up with countless other examples.
I can’t resist a comparison to Dipsie.
Dipsie launches: http://www.siliconbeat.com/ent.....nches.html
Dipsie folds: http://www.siliconbeat.com/ent.....rsity.html
OK, not entirely fair, since I think Powerset has licensed interesting technology from PARC. But I use the example to make the point that “lofty goals” and “trying to do something pretty spectacular” are a weak substitute for creating value.
Powerset has had access to great money and talent. Maybe something great will come out of it. But so far I’m still waiting.
I tried “Who killed Boba Fett ?” and got some garbage. So much for NLP hype.
This is pathetic. Even “How big is a soccer field?” works better on Google, and that’s exactly the type of query a semantic search engine should excel at.
Michael,
Can you provide some example queries to type in so that we too can have that “AHA moment” !
It’s unanimous - it sucks
This site doesn’t make sense to me. Is the idea here you are going to make sense of my searches when I type in a sentence? How often do I do that? I can’t see how I get anything out of this site I wouldn’t get out of Wikipedia or Google.
Its easy to claim you have the next wave. Not so easy to actually have it. Powerset sure does not have it, as far as I can tell. Then again, Facebook is the #8 site on the net….
this google search:
tokyo earthquake site:wikipedia.org
seems just as good as this crapset search:
when did earthquakes hit tokyo
=== stunning results? what is your infatuation with these guys?
I see the gap between what people expect and what Powerset actually has.
They have something valuable but they’re doing such a shitty job trying to manage expectations. In fact if they had said absolutely nothing and gave no hint whatsoever and just put it out there they would have done far better.
Try using a keyword-based query. Forget NLP on the query side. It’s hopeless and it will be hopeless for a few generations of consumers.
Use a keyword-based query. The results should be consistently better than a “Google search of Wikipedia” .. again: {Better than a Google search of Wikipedia} and NOT better than Google search of the Web.
If my assertion above is wrong then the $12.5M is a total waste.
It didn’t find me in wikipedia; am I so deeply buried that $12M doesn’t surface my remains?
OK sorry, one more:
The question posed to Powerset: what is the best way to make money on the internet?
#1 Answer: Independent music.
Wow. I mean seriously. Even ‘house cleaning’ would be a better answer.
http://www.powerset.com/explor.....submit.y=0
Interestingly, they seem to be shying away from the one feature I liked in the beta–namely, trying to help users formulate structured queries as they typed them. Sure, their implementation was erratic, but it was the most promising direction I saw them pursue.
In any case, Wikipedia is just a bad set to use for testing question answering (even though I know Powerset insists it is not doing question answering). Almost every top-of-mind question whose answer is available via Wikipedia is answered by a single Wikipedia page devoted to answering that question.
Powerset isn’t ready to advertise on this blog. This PR move shows how desperate they are. $12.5 million, and all they have is this to show for? Even Allen & Co. or Techcrunch can’t save you.
hate these ads. stop it michael
Pathetic, I thought it’s some student summer project. Apply some semantic model on a limited set of quality, semi structured set of of documents in wikipedia is not that hard. 20M down the drain, could’ve been spent better buying food for hungry children in Africa.
actually tried it. 100% off track.
please stop show scripted results. even something like “what is the address of techcrunch” get 100% rubbish. o my god. won’t go back.
“It is better to be talked about than not be talked about at all.” –Oscar Wilde
Seeing all this reaction they can always publish a $12.5M book on how NOT to screw up your messaging or even sell the rights to the Powerset Rangers line of NLP enabled toys.
My comment was published, then deleted????
HYPEWARE. I am a cognitive scientist, and somewhat offended by the mere idea that this thing would be ready for prime time. Nothing but ELIZA EFFECT here.
So here are my three queries:
==
1. “WHO IS THE TEXAN IN WASHINGTON?”
#
Texas Revolution
Declaring himself as the only person who could bring about peace, Santa Anna was sent to Washington, D.C., by the Texan government to meet President Jackson in order to guarantee independence of the new republic.
# close
Texas
“Texas Executes 400th Inmate”, The Washington Post, 2007-08-22. … | Demonym | Texan |
# close
Texan schooner Austin
In Galveston, Austin was at anchor while Commodore Moore met with President Houston and Secretary of War and Marine George Washington Hockley to make plans for the Texan fleet.
# close
The Texan
The Texan (TV series), starring Rory Calhoun
# close
The Texan (fictional character)
Yossarian and Dunbar meet the Texan on his admission to their hospital ward, in the first chapter of the novel.
# close
The Texan (TV series)
The Texan was a Western television series starring popular B movie star Rory Calhoun.
# close
Texan schooner Independence2
Texan schooner Independence
Lithograph of the Texan schooner Independence as flagship of the Texas Navy … In June, 1836, the schooner bore commissioners Peter William Grayson and James W. Collinsworth to New Orleans on the first leg of their trip to Washington, D.C. to negotiate the recognition of Texas by the United States.
# close
The Daily Texan
A number of comic strips that began in the Texan went on to have commercial success. … The Daily Texan
# close
Battle of San Jacinto
In 18 minutes of combat, the Texan army had won, killing about 630 Mexican soldiers, wounding 208 and taking 730 prisoners. … However, the safe passage never materialized; Santa Anna was held for six months as a prisoner of war (during which time his government disowned him and any agreement he might enter into) and finally taken to Washington, D.C.
# close
German Texan
These first immigrants settled in Austin, Colorado, Fayette, and Washington counties. … ↑ The German-Texan Heritage Society
===========================
2. “Is Iran an Apple product?”
#
List of products discontinued by Apple Inc.
A Quadra 700, part of Apple’s high-end desktop computer range of the early-1990s. … ↑ Apple - Product Support (Language)
# close
Apple TV
Apple TV Sales Will Stall at 1 Million. … Apple TV Support – official product support
# close
Apple
The apple as symbol of sexual seduction has been used to imply sexuality between men, possibly in an ironic vein. … | Iran | 689,328 | C | 2,400,000 | F |
# close
Apple IIGS
The IIGS was also the first Apple product to bear the new brand-unifying color scheme, a warm gray color Apple dubbed “Platinum”.
# close
Apple Keyboard
This was the first major redesign of the Apple keyboard, featuring more fluid, curving lines to match the look of the new Apple product style.
# close
Apple Newton
Product Details … Palm Computing was co-founded by ex-Apple employee Donna Dubinsky.
# close
Apple Inc. litigation
The suit settled in 1981 with an undisclosed amount being paid to Apple Corps. … ↑ Apple - Product Support (Language)
# close
Apple III
The Apple III was the first Apple product that allowed the user to choose both a screen font and a keyboard layout:either QWERTY or Dvorak.
# close
Apple IIc
A third party company would later introduced a work-alike LCD screen called the C-Vue, which looked and functioned very much like Apple’s product, albeit with a reportedly slight improvement in viewability.
# close
Iran
| | Iran Portal | … See also: Military history of Iran
=========================================
3. “Is Hillary a vampire?”
#
Karin (manga)
Voiced by: Mikako Takahashi (Japanese), Hillary Blazer-Doyle (English) … A vampire hunter descended from a long line of hunters.
# close
Political positions of Hillary Rodham Clinton
↑ http://thatsmycongress.com/ind.....sions-act/ Where is Hillary Clinton on the Military Commissions Act?, Thatsmycongress.com, May 21, 2007
# close
Edmund Hillary
Hillary considered pulling out, but both Hunt and Shipton talked him into remaining.
# close
Hillary Rodham Clinton
From mid-1978 to mid-1980 she served as the chair of that board, the first woman to do so. … ↑ Hillary Rodham Clinton.
# close
Hillary Clinton presidential campaign, 2008
A week after the debate, Clinton said, “I wasn’t at my best the other night. … The focus has got to get back on Hillary.
# close
List of books about Hillary Rodham Clinton
By herself … Condi vs. Hillary : The Next Great Presidential Race. HarperCollins, 2005.
# close
Hillary Rodham Clinton presidential campaign, 2008
A week after the debate, Clinton said, “I wasn’t at my best the other night. … The focus has got to get back on Hillary.
# close
Characters of Sluggy Freelance
Sam was turned into a vampire in an early adventure, and he leaves the main group shortly after due to Riff’s mistrust. … Actually Hillary Clinton.
# close
List of Hillary Rodham Clinton presidential campaign endorsements
↑ GayCityUSA Daily: Elizabeth Taylor Supports Hillary Clinton’s Run For President
# close
Senate career of Hillary Rodham Clinton
She subsequently voted against three of the nominees, but all were confirmed by the Senate. … ↑ Hillary Rodham Clinton.
I won’t use it… I keep it Google.
I accidentally typed in “who taugh Robert Johnson to play guitar”…instead of taught I misspelled it…”taugh”. PS asked me, “did you mean ‘tough’”? Maybe I am missing it, but if it doesn’t understand what I meant in the context of the question asked, how is it going to ‘naturally’ answer my question?
p.s. once I retyped…it still didn’t answer my question in the first 3 pages, let alone first three results.
@35
Both google, yahoo and even msft live seem to correct it and also answer it in the first query.
I tried using the product but the results are not relevant. Team needs to do a lot more work on the “relevancy” part. In current state, they can not compete against any basic search engine…forget Google!
Michael: On behalf of fellow “comment providers”, would you let us know what search keywords gave you the “AHA” moment?
I have not seen such a unanimous response from readers in any TC post for a long time!
Very underwhelming…a Google Search for “Golden Gate Bridge Name” vs whatever they were trying to demonstrate in that video, says it all
http://mbb.tumblr.com/post/34498545
Maybe Michael was searching
“Is Powerset going into the deadpool?”
“Should Techcrunch sell a plug to Powerset?”
You can’t compare Google the Giant with a start up. The searches in Google will obviously be better because they index faster and better. Instead of comparing the results, we should try and understand the technology or usefulness behind it. They are doing great work for a start up. Just add more servers guys and send those spiders to more and more sites.
These comments are excellent (although quite critical of the original post) and they illustrate what an amazing resource TechCrunch has become. I know it has been asked in other some of the other PS posts, but I haven’t seen a response:
Michael, do you have any financial interest in Powerset?
Michael and Techcrunch posted a couple of stories about my company (which I won’t name here) and they did it without being paid and without even talking to me…although they tried. The only reason I mention this is because I see a lot of people complaining that news on powerset is being posted because they paid Techcrunch. That may be true, but it may not.
Powerset must have some crazy foliage in it’s office. Those carnivorous plants can get nasty.
http://www.powerset.com/explor.....submit.y=0
it’s funny, there’s a twitter discussion about payoffs for posts going on twitter right now (around Scoble). it’s so ridiculously offensive to see comments accusing people of payoffs every time any blogger writes that they like a service. i usually delete these, but I’m leaving some of them up here as well.
Powerset is interesting. People who don’t see it as interesting (1) have a different opinion, which is fine, (2) are comparing it to google and its full web index, which is sort of dumb, or (3) are so entrenched in search speak that they forget real language can be a better interface.
Disagreement is fine. But if every time we post that we like a service you are accusing us of payoffs, just go hang out on another blog. It’s just trolling.
@Techcrunch Reader - of course the vast majority of companies TC covers are ones where an author has no interest - just like yours. The stuff today that brought Scoble here on the twitter thread is just stupid, and,I hope no one seriously believes TC is paid for story placement.
I think that MA can be fiercely objective, but I asked the question in #41 about his relationship to Powerset because I have seen it asked enough times here an never answered. A denial should end the matter.
while, I am here, check this search: who slept with Marilyn Monroe
Powerset tells me: Professor Frink, Art Buchwald and probably “not Elvis”
The second Google results tells me: James Dougherty, Joe DiMaggio, Arthur Miller, RFK, JFK, Joan Crawford (the last three being “unproven”)
try “when did earthquakes hit bay area” or “when did earthquakes hit san jose” or even “when did tsunami hit indonesia”, I was not impressed …
Maybe you should only allow video comments… That would shut a lot of those cowards up. I can’t believe you have to deal with this shit every time you write a post. I wouldn’t have the patience.
Actually, I don’t get it. Mike, honestly, this post is way too ‘drunk’ - bereft of any intellectual content. You say you have no financial interest in the company; but, this post and the previous ones taste and smell like PR plugs. I used to read TC religiously; but, you guys are seriously trying hard to shoo me away. Some objective, thought provoking coverage, please!!
Mike, you should have spent the time you spent writing this article on actually doing a few searches. I think you would have stopped covering this fail of a company after you tried it for 10 minutes.
Powerset is not bad, it’s atrocious.
Sorry, it did not live up to the hype.
This is supposed to be good for real questions, and will kill Google because it “reads” wikipedia, right? Wrong, it it a friggin demo and not as smart as a 5th grader or Google. You can try it yourself or see my test. http://www.fox.com/areyousmarter/features/
What Is the only US capital located south of Miami Florida? GOOGLE TAKES IT
Google – Honolulu (via Yahoo Answers)
Powerset – Article on Miami Florida
Is more water vapor held in cool air than warm air? GOOGLE AGAIN
Google – Warm air (wiki Answers) in Excerpt
Powerset – Article on water
Who is the only person to become vice president then president without being elected to office? GOOGLE AGAIN
Google – Ford.in excerpt #1
Powerset – Article on Vice President
On April 18, 1775, Paul Revere took his famous “midnight ride” across the territory of what present day state? SLIGHT ADVANTAGE GOOGLE
Google – Mass in excerpt #1
Powerset – Paul Revere Article
Does Tennessee border Missouri? TIE HMMM NOT BAD, LETS GIVE IT ONE MORE TRY
Google – Yes in excerpt#1
Powerset – Yes in article
What was the middle name of President Nixon? GOOGLE
Google – Milhous in the excerpt #1
Powerset – Article on Nixon