Google Adds More Explanation To Knowledge Graph Results

Google has added explanations to the “People also search for” results that it shows as part of its Knowledge Graph on search results pages. You know, like when you search for “Herman...
Google Adds More Explanation To Knowledge Graph Results
Written by Chris Crum
  • Google has added explanations to the “People also search for” results that it shows as part of its Knowledge Graph on search results pages.

    You know, like when you search for “Herman Melville,” and see that “people also search for” Mark Twain, Nathaniel Hawthorne, etc. For some of these types of results, you can mouse over them or click the thumbnail, and see an explanation about why exactly it’s connected to the main subject of that particular Knowledge Graph result.

    “Search is a lot about discovery, and the Knowledge Graph, our map of real-world people, places and things, is designed to help you find new information easily,” says Google engineer Golan Pundak. “Have you ever flipped through the ‘People also search for” section of the Knowledge Graph panels and wondered — just how are those two people connected anyway? People had fun with our Bacon Number calculator, which revealed some, often surprising, connections, and now we’re taking it one step further.”

    More on on the Bacon Number calculator here. Even Kevin Bacon had fun with that one.

    Google says it is starting by showing major co-starring roles between actors, movies and TV shows, and highlighting family connections amongst famous people.

    Knowledge Graph explanations

    “These connections won’t show up all the time, but when there is an interesting explanation available, you can now see it at a glance just by mousing over or clicking,” says Pundak.

    I guess we’ll see the feature expanded into other types of results over time, if these are just the starting point.

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