Google is getting scarier and is now trawling the IRC channels. Good or bad? I am not sure, but on first glance it does not look good. Here is a link for more details. [Thanks Mike]

When queried by anxious chatters, here is what Google team had to say

bq. Thank you for your note. The unusual activity you are observing is part of an experiment aimed at improving Google’s search quality. Please be assured that this behavior is only temporary. If it is adversely affecting your server, please let us know, and we will stop the activity.
Regards,
The Google Team