NYTimes on Microsoft Tech Fest and Search

Microsofts investment in research has not yielded the kind of results which have allowed for differentiation in search at this point. Currently they are playing catch-up to Google and since it's core to Google's business they will be hard pressed to surpass them. This NYTimes article outlines some of the research which Microsoft is pursuing to try and make a difference. I would imagine that AI is going to prove critical to maintaining a strong position in years to come. Consumers will need more intelligent interfaces and user experiences to find the proverbial needle in the haystack. I might learn more when I have dinner tomorrow night with my friend Matt MacLaurin who is a research at MS.