AI and search engines

One of the most sensible uses of an AI that can read information, update a data structure to reflect that information, and then answer questions about that information, is a search engine. In fact, that's exactly what a search engine is, the difference being that today the internal representation that search engines use doesn't contain much meaning.

What this brings to mind is that the Internet is an important aspect of AI: It serves as the raw knowledge base for an AI to read to learn about the world. Now, this has some serious limitations given that anyone can write whatever they want on the 'Net, but overall I think the Internet will serve as one of the primary means for AI's learning about the world.

Let's fast forward into the future and ask Google some questions that will test its understanding of the world:

Search: What is Bill Clinton's birthday?
Answer: August 19, 1946

Search: What year did World War II end?
Answer: 1945

Search: What month comes after November?
Answer: December

Search: How many feet are there in a yard?
Answer: 3

Search: What day of the week was it when man first landed on the moon?
Answer: ...