MUM, which stands for ‘Multitask Unified Model’, is a technology developed by Google to answer complex search queries. A few months ago, Google publicly released first insight about the technology, saying it was still in testing stages and we could see it being applied to search results in the coming months.
Google has now deployed this advanced technology in search results in a way that will help millions of people worldwide in the midst of the pandemic.
Let’s take a look at how exactly MUM is being used.
MUM In Action
The first application of MUM in real-world search results by Google is to help understand searches related to vaccine information.
Google confirms that MUM is now being utilized in search results to help correctly identify over 800 keywords entered by searchers for vaccines. This application of Multitask Unified Model will aid in delivering the latest, most accurate and trustworthy information about vaccines to people all over the world.
Without using this form of technology, identifying all the different names that people use to refer to vaccines would have entailed hundreds of human hours. But, after validating findings using MUM, Google was able to apply them to search results and enable people to find quality, timely information about vaccines worldwide.
“MUM was able to do a job that should take weeks in just seconds thanks to its knowledge transfer skills. MUM can learn from and transfer knowledge across the 75+ languages it’s trained on.”
What We Can Expect from MUM Going Forward
At the moment, vaccine search is the first and only confirmed application of MUM in search results thus far. However, Google says that it expects to continue using this form of technology in ways that will make search more useful by improving on services and using MUM to build new tools.
“This first application of MUM helped us get critical information to users around the world in a timely manner, and we’re looking forward to the many ways in which MUM can make Search more useful to people in the future. Our early testing indicates that not only will MUM be able to improve many aspects of our existing systems, but will also help us create completely new ways to search and explore information.”
