Passwords are old, busted, and most likely, a third thing. But now Google is harnessing the power of artificial intelligence for something useful, to help humanity move past the old and busted (and the mysterious third thing!) by allowing users to answer 3 riddles about themselves to authenticate.
Since Google already knows everything about you, there's no need to hand over any new information. You'll be auto-enrolled as soon as it's enabled for your account.
Using it is as simple as you're thinking. Enter your email address and a prompt will ask you 3 riddles about your past. No more having to remember a password.
I tried it today, and it knew exactly who I was. It started by asking me a question about gardening, which I know nothing about. And the question was in Spanish, which I know even less. The system saw me type some gibberish in, then delete it and make a Google search to translate the question to English, then translate my response to Spanish. And with that, it had a good data point to know who I am. The other 2 questions were equally difficult, but that's the point of a riddle. To riddle you with puzzles (sometimes called riddles).
I then tried to get in other people's accounts, people I know really well, and it stopped me. Apparently I don't know the exact time of day my son was born. Or my wife's favorite ex. I know both of their passwords, but Google's new system provided better security.
Google is rolling this out to all Android users first, since they know the most about those users. But the new system is planned to roll out to all users by the end of the year.