This is the type of AI model that makes generative AI and AI Overviews possible. Google has been using it since 2019.
Related to BERT is a “deep learning system” called DeepRank. As we learned from Panda Nayuk’s testimony during the DOJ trial, essentially DeepRank is BERT when BERT is used for ranking.
DeepRank also replaced much of RankBrain.
MUM (2021)
Google claims that the Multitask Unified Model (MUM) is “1,000 times more powerful than BERT.”
If BERT understands language, then MUM generates it. And it can also understand both text and images and maybe video by now.
Pandu Nayak, Google’s Chief Scientist, Search and former VP of Search, explained MUM like this:
“Take the question about hiking Mt. Fuji: MUM could understand you’re comparing two mountains, so elevation and trail information may be relevant. It could also be understood that, in the context of hiking, to “prepare” could include things like fitness training as well as finding the right gear.
Since MUM can surface insights based on its deep knowledge of the world, it could highlight that while both mountains are roughly the same elevation, fall is the rainy season on Mt. Fuji so you might need a waterproof jacket.”
However, MUM’s application to improve search results around COVID-19 vaccine information highlights how powerful this system is.
Nayak said MUM helps to differentiate the different vaccine brand names and provide the “latest trustworthy information about the vaccine.”
MUM highlights that Google can improve search results faster than in the past.
Harnessing AI for SEO: What’s possible?
What you can do with generative AI, Google can do with the AI in their ranking system. Let that sink in.
ChatGPT may have an IQ of up to 155, so it’s fair to assume that Google’s AI can vet sources like a human to a degree.
A human vetting the qualify and relevance of a page to their intent might ask these questions:
Are you an experienced expert in the subject you’re writing or talking about?
Are other experienced experts talking about you and your expertise?
Do you have a bad reputation for spamming Google to rank higher?
How does what you say about a topic relate to other experts in the field?
Is this the best product for what I’m searching for?
But remember that Gomes said AI will move “From answers to journeys.” This is very important, indicating that Google can track how you and your audience are engaging with or creating content about your brand or internal experts.
With this, then Google could answer much more relevant questions:
Do people benefit from your product or service?
Is one website/company affiliated with another or different, with customers that use both?
Are customers sharing information about your product and then searching for it on Google?
It’s time to stop thinking about SEO in terms of ranking signals and focus on how humans search for information and why.
Contributing authors are invited to create content for Search Engine Land and are chosen for their expertise and contribution to the search community. Our contributors work under the oversight of the editorial staff and contributions are checked for quality and relevance to our readers. The opinions they express are their own.