Next in tech?

How does a company like Google stay competitive as its core business of web advertising change?  One possibility is to combine its vast knowledge gained from watching searches for 17 years with AI (artificial intelligence) to create a device that can "do things" rather than simply search.  It began with the ability to answer questions as an extension of search.  The new goal is to consider all the parameters and book the flight you want, i.e. figure it all out.  Or combine with others to schedule a meeting without human intervention.  http://www.nytimes.com/  If you have sold your soul to Google so that it knows everything about you, e.g. through that Android phone you are carrying around, try stretching the abilities of Google Now -- it is impressively capable at successfully responding to spoken questions.