They already do shedloads of NLP optimisations. Inference of wider intent in the query? Maybe. Optimisation of which matches to prioritise? Hard to see how they can do that without breaking profit. What I want is less, more specificity, not more.
The risk side is immense. They're adding it out of fear, not an innate belief it adds value. I'd admire Google more if they gave a reasoned response why not to do it.