Google Now Using MUM For Detecting Personal Crisis Searches & BERT For Detecting Shocking Content

Google promised to let us know when they expand when they use MUM in search and Google did just that yesterday with this new announcement. Google announced how they are using MUM for better detection of queries around personal crisis. And Google also said the search company used BERT to reduce unexpected shocking search results.

MUM Now Used To Detect Personal Crisis Searches

Google said by using MUM, Google can “automatically and more accurately detect a wider range of personal crisis searches.” These topics include searches on suicide, sexual assault, substance abuse and domestic violence – all features Google has had since at least 2011 but now Google is getting smarter about it. In these cases, Google would show you a hotline and other helpful information like the image below:

Now with MUM, Google Search “can better understand the intent behind people’s questions to detect when a person is in need, which helps us more reliably show trustworthy and actionable information at the right time.”

This should roll out in the coming weeks, Google said.

BERT Now Used To Detect Unexpected Shocking Content

Google is using another AI feature, named BERT, which it has had in play for a while now, but now using it for “steering clear of unexpected shocking content.” Google said that BERT helped reduce unexpected shocking results by 30%.

This was most seen in reducing explicit content for searches related to ethnicity, sexual orientation and gender. Google said “BERT has improved our understanding of whether searches are truly seeking out explicit content, helping us vastly reduce your chances of encountering surprising search results.”

This goes above and beyond Google’s SafeSearch adult filters and other technology it has used in the past.

Forum discussion at Twitter.

Note: I had a hard time finding an appropriate image for this story, I went with a person shocked to see something with the BERT angle.