This is my fun Friday post.
Holy smokes, I just can’t resist snickering about it.
He’s so smug. He’s so smooth.
He’s…a WHUT?!
Google criticized as AI Overview makes obvious errors, such as saying former President Obama is Muslim
Are you kidding me? “Obvious error“?
- For example, when asked how many Muslim presidents the U.S. has had, AI Overview responded, “The United States has had one Muslim president, Barack Hussein Obama.”
Shouldn’t someone get fired for this? I mean, that’s how it used to work.
Either way and the fact that it’s uber-woke, perpetually virtue-signaling Google wading knee-deep in the bovine excrement is so delicious; I can’t frickin’ stand it.
It’s been less than two weeks since Google debuted “AI Overview” in Google Search, and public criticism has mounted after queries have returned nonsensical or inaccurate results within the AI feature — without any way to opt out.
AI Overview shows a quick summary of answers to search questions at the very top of Google Search. For example, if a user searches for the best way to clean leather boots, the results page may display an “AI Overview” at the top with a multistep cleaning process, gleaned from information it synthesized from around the web.
…Here are some examples of errors produced by AI Overview, according to screenshots shared by users.
When asked how many Muslim presidents the U.S. has had, AI Overview responded, “The United States has had one Muslim president, Barack Hussein Obama.”
When a user searched for “cheese not sticking to pizza,” the feature suggested adding “about 1/8 cup of nontoxic glue to the sauce.” Social media users found an 11-year-old Reddit comment that seemed to be the source.
I am sure this next question was posited by a Harvard undergrad in a dirty keffiyeh.
…When asked, “How many rocks should I eat each day,” the tool said, “According to UC Berkeley geologists, people should eat at least one small rock a day,” going on to list the vitamins and digestive benefits.
Hey! Berkeley Scientists™ said one rock a day! That’s gospel, man.
No wonder they weren’t throwing stones at the protests.
All the available rocks on the quad had already been ingested.
It seems Google’s AI is relying on the innerwebs for its answers. Hang on a dang minute. Where’s the big advance?
How is that any smarter than what we already do?
…The AI overview feature uses data from existing websites to inform its answers, but in many cases Google appears to be relying on joke websites or misinterpreting reliable sources.
…The advice to eat rocks was based on an article in The Onion, a satirical news website, and the recommendation to put glue on pizza was based on a joke posted on Reddit more than a decade ago.
And everyone knows The Onion is neither factual nor funny. Some big intelligence advancement there, Google.
I am also giggling as I write because every time I pause on this new format we have here, I am now getting a Google AI prompt with a cute little pen attached:
WANT ME TO HELP YOU WRITE?
Oh, hay-yull, YEAH – now you bet I do!
Then when the blog explodes and Ed sends me a WTF, I’ll be all, “Hey! Da Google you gave me made me do it!”
I’m the victim here.
I’ve got to hurry, though. Google says “they’re working on it.” They’re also turning off some results.
Google Search’s AI falsely said Obama is a Muslim. Now it’s turning off some results
Google promised its new artificial intelligence search tools would “do the work for you” and make finding information online quicker and easier. But just days after the launch, the company is… pic.twitter.com/R6h3sculFA
— Just watching! (@watchingnews11) May 24, 2024
Sheesh. That’ll ruin everything.
Maybe we should ask about that Kenyan birth certificate while the AI’s still all messed up.
Don’t you know I have Bingley’s around here somewhere – I break it out for his birthdays.
I’m gonna go see if I can get that AI thing to work before it doesn’t.