Google is funding scientists at Tel Aviv University to ascertain whether or not computers can be better at predicting future outcomes if they can be programmed to better understand the dynamics of regret and hindsight. While the science of artificial intelligence hasn’t (yet) successfully created an autonomous consciousness that can “feel” emotions in the same way that humans do, the goal here is in getting a computer to know the difference between an outcome that’s desired and the outcome that actually transpires — and measuring the distance between.

CC licensed (BY ND) flickr photo shared by samantha celera

Why would Google be particularly interested in the data learned from such a study? Professor Yishay Mansour, leader of the ambitious project, says: “If the servers and routing systems of the Internet could see and evaluate all the relevant variables in advance, they could more efficiently prioritize server resource requests, load documents, and route visitors to an Internet site, for instance.”

Getting predictable results from the erratic behavior of human beings is probably one of the most frustrating endeavors that can be undertaken, so it’s probably lucky that a computer presented with such a task doesn’t feel frustration, either. Professor Mansour is hoping to develop an algorithm that could learn from and adapt to react to human patterns of behavior. “We are able to change and influence the decision-making of computers in real-time. Compared to human beings, help systems can much more quickly process all the available information to estimate the future as events unfold — whether it’s a bidding war on an online auction site, a sudden spike of traffic to a media Web site, or demand for an online product,” he says.

This technology, once perfected, could easily allow a megalomaniacal corporation intent on conquest of the world and domination of all of its resources and people to pillage the future before it even unfolds. Luckily, Google has pledged that it won’t “be evil,” so… whew! We really dodged one there.