Google has also made some new additions to the Prediction API, which is designed to give developers access to Google’s algorithms to analyze historic data and predict likely future outcomes within their apps.
New additions include multi-category prediction, continuous output, mixed inputs, and combining continuous output with mixed inputs.
"Imagine you’re writing a news aggregator that suggests articles based on the kinds of stories the user has read before," says Travis Green of Google’s Prediction API Team. "Previously, using the Prediction API, each article could only be tagged with one label – the most pertinent one. For example, an article about a new truck might be labeled as ‘truck,’ but not ‘roomy’ or ‘quiet.’ Now articles can be tagged with all of those labels, with the labels ranked by pertinence, enabling your app to make better recommendations."That’s just a couple of examples of what can be done with the Prediction API now that it has these new features. Green provides a couple more here.
Google’s continued efforts of prediction are something to keep an eye on, as the company seems to be putting a great deal of emphasis on on them lately. It’s all about getting users information they want more quickly, which can’t be too bad, unless Google’s predictions are inaccurate. Maybe one day they’ll release an Android app that just reads our minds and delivers accordingly.
