Google wasn't the first to push for machine learning in its algo

[AlyssaS]

...Yandex was the first.

Came across an interesting interview dated June 2011 from seomoz interviewing an expert in International search (areas where G is weak).

See the following:

[seomoz.org...]

I thoroughly recommend viewing the entire video. Cliff notes version: in 2008 G was beginning to claw back market share in Russia, and Yandex responded by introducing wide-spread machine learning, and clawed back market share and then proceeded to whoop G's backside.

If you want to check how Yandex's english language search rates your site, put it through

[yandex.com...]

it might give you clues as to where G is heading as Yandex is further along the machine learning route.

[tedster]

Google filed for machine learning patents as early as 2003 - see Large scale machine learning systems and methods [patft.uspto.gov]

Many people only caught on that machine learning is their preferred method for algorithm development when Panda rolled out. But to my understanding, Google has preferred machine learning from their very early days. I think they may be further along that road than we can even guess!