Meet MUM – Coming Soon to Google Search

Multitask Unified Model is a New AI for Understanding Information

Google MUMNot long ago, we had BERT and then recently, we had passage rank, and in an effort to continue to get even smarter, Google has developed MUM (Multitask Unified Model.)

For MUM, the goal of developing this new AI is to help users from having to type out multiple queries to get the answer they are looking for.

Here is an expert from Google’s official announcement that can provide an example of how MUM will change search:

“Take this scenario: You’ve hiked Mt. Adams. Now you want to hike Mt. Fuji next fall, and you want to know what to do differently to prepare. Today, Google could help you with this, but it would take many thoughtfully considered searches — you’d have to search for the elevation of each mountain, the average temperature in the fall, difficulty of the hiking trails, the right gear to use, and more. After a number of searches, you’d eventually be able to get the answer you need.

But if you were talking to a hiking expert; you could ask one question — “what should I do differently to prepare?” You’d get a thoughtful answer that takes into account the nuances of your task at hand and guides you through the many things to consider.  

This example is not unique — many of us tackle all sorts of tasks that require multiple steps with Google every day. In fact, we find that people issue eight queries on average for complex tasks like this one.“ 

Learn More About MUM

  • Similarly to BERT, MUM is built on a transformer architecture
  • MUM will be 1,000 times more powerful than BERT
  • MUM not only understands language but can also create or generate it
  • MUM is multimodal and understands information across text and images
  • Later on, MUM will be able to understand video and audio as well
  • MUM could even eventually be able to transfer knowledge between languages
  • They also plan on looking for patterns that indicate bias in machine learning and avoid including it
  • Eventually, MUM will be able to read a photo you provide alongside a question and point you in the right direction

Do I Need to Prepare My Site for MUM?

Like most algorithm and language updates, there is nothing truly specific you need to prepare. Instead, just always make sure you are integrating Google’s E-A-T principles into your site and content:

  • E – Expertise
  • A – Authoritativeness
  • T – Trustworthiness

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