"As the circle of my knowledge grows, so grows the circumference of the unknown."

Isaac Newton wrote that – or at least, I think he did. I had to check the origin of the quote using a search engine, and so my accuracy is reliant on the accuracy of someone – or something – else.

In covering the topic of IT innovation for Computing, I hear a lot about the future of search – for example, the challenges of porting search engines to mobile devices, and potential ways we can help people to work together. There is no doubt that these issues will have to be dealt with in the near future, but at the same time there is another, more basic set of problems: those that stem from human-machine interaction.

All the big hitters in search are working in this area, but one of the most interesting approaches is True Knowledge – a Cambridge-based project that aims to create an engine capable of understanding full questions, rather than one that looks for patterns or selected words within online text.

Achieving this goal has long been something of a Holy Grail for search companies, but William Tunstall-Pedoe seem to be making good progress. The entrepreneur and his team have developed a tool that relies upon a database of facts when handling queries, allowing it to comprehend the intention behind ambiguous terms.

For example, when asked a question such as: "Is Madonna single?", the search engine will assess whether a user is referring to the pop singer, the mother of Christ, or one of several places located in Italy. It will recognise "single" as being a relationship status, and that geographical locations are unable to form loving bonds with one another.

A standard answer will therefore be "no", since True Knowledge knows Madonna is married to Guy Ritchie, and it is highly likely that this is the Madonna that was being referred to. If pushed, it will also give an answer about the relationship status of the Virgin Mary ("I don't know," in case you're interested).

All the information feeding these decisions is based upon the input of voluntary users, who submit facts on a specific subject. Every submission is used, and in a case where the engine receives two opposing bits of information – if someone suggests that Madonna is single, for example – the application will side with the majority vote. This in turn makes it harder to hijack or graffiti content, as sometimes happens with contentious Wikipedia articles.

True Knowledge is in the beta stage of testing with around 500 regular contributors, so the database still needs time to grow. However, it is still a fascinating indication of the way the market might develop. The idea of a search tool that can actually answer questions is an appealing one, but it is still interesting to note the limitations of this fact-based system. Absolute truths will work - "Is George Bush a president?" - but subjective questions fair less well - "Is George Bush a good president?".

So, machines may be able to tell us if Madonna is single, but they can't tell us how to get a date with her. Or why we would want one, for that matter. Answers on a postcard, please.

By Neon Kelly