AI Search in Action: How Phi Makes Our Website Smarter
The amount of data in blogs, photo archives, and other digital platforms is growing rapidly. Traditional search often reaches its limits when trying to deliver truly relevant results. That’s where Phi comes in – our AI-powered search solution that has already taken over the entire German search on our website. While our proven internal search continues to operate in English, Phi is showing us the future of intelligent search.
Why Phi?
The goal was clear from the start: Our search should not only find terms but also understand the meaning behind the queries. With Phi, we’ve developed an AI that:
- Understands context: When users search for "travel," Phi knows that "adventure" or "exploration" might also be relevant.
- Improves hit rates: By integrating blog content, the photo archive, and Wikipedia, Phi delivers more comprehensive results.
- Enhances user experience: Results are well-structured and often surprisingly accurate.
Progress in German Search
Since Phi has fully taken over the German search, the improvements are noticeable:
- Expanded search areas: Phi searches not only text but also titles and URLs, ensuring better results even for imprecise queries.
- Integration of various data sources: Blog posts, Wikipedia entries, and the extensive photo archive are seamlessly included.
- A practical example: A user recently searched for "hiking" and not only found blog posts on the topic but also relevant photos of hiking trails in nature.
English Search – Still Traditional
In English, we continue to rely on our internal search solution, which has been refined over the years. However, introducing Phi to other languages is already on the roadmap.
What Doesn’t Work Yet, but Will Soon
An example from a Facebook comment shows where there’s still room for improvement:
A user asked: "Did Jürgen also photograph cars?"
Phi didn’t understand the context and replied: "No relevant post found."
Solution in Progress: Soon, Phi will be able to better recognize and associate proper names like "Jürgen."
“Phi is growing up” – with each new development, our AI search solution brings us one step closer to the vision of intelligent and personalized search. We are excited to see how Phi will become even more independent and smarter in the future.
