Who would have taught a research project by two students at the Stanford University would have such far-reaching implications that today we cannot imagine life without it? So many of us begin the day with ‘Ok Google’? Google has come to dominate every aspect of routine life, and now researchers are suggesting that it is even altering the way we think and the way our brain functions.

From a dorm room to a garage to now one of the largest companies in the Silicon Valley, Larry Page and Sergey Brin have taken Google to great heights. This week Google completed 20 years, but it has revamped the way we use technology.

Image Credit: bcsistatic

More so with the features that use Artificial Intelligence to integrate our lives with our devices. From calling the family to booking restaurants and haircuts to reminding you of meetings, to helping your traverse a trip in a foreign country with Google Translate, it has impregnated almost every aspect of life.

Growing numbers of us are now locked into our smartphones from morning until night. Using Google’s services like the search engine, calendar, maps, documents, photo assistant and so on, has become second nature. It would not be far fetched to say that a part of our minds now lay on Google.

If that were not true, how could Google start making suggestions for you? For instance, Google Maps does not only tell you how to get to a place, but also the fastest way to get there, and any other places around that might interest you.

Gmail now makes suggestions about what we want to type. And Google News now pushes stories that it thinks are relevant to us, personally. But all of this removes the very need to think and make decisions for ourselves.

Soon Google might move from integration to addiction. For some, this transition might have already begun slowly. Now when you get an earworm, you don’t badger friends with it. You just ask Google. You never get into fights with your partner for remembering their special days and fixing a perfect date. Google can set reminders and make the right reservations. No wonder, you think that Google deserves more love than the partner.

As Google completes 20 years, it is time to celebrate its victory and our surrender to its devices (literally!).

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