Via ResourceShelf:
http://www.resourceshelf.com/2006/12/11/ants-and-information-retrieval-autonomy-recruits-army-ants-for-search-technology/

This post:
points to an article about UK search and IR company Autonomy, introducing technology that "mimics" the behaviour of ants.

Also, info about a company named DolphinSearch that uses technology that utilizes the, "extraordinary precision with which dolphins locate and recognize objects. From this patented technology, the DolphinSearch system was developed as a collaborative effort between legal, audit and compliance professionals and technical experts."

Looks like this ant technology is just an alert system like Google Alert?