Google's AI Overview is a dangerous disaster
The new AI feature from Google is spewing out misinformation
🤖 Google’s AI is spreading misinformation
😮 The company’s new AI Overview is providing some bizarre answers
🤦♂️ Google recommends putting glue on your pizza
🐶 It also claimed that a dog played in the NBA
Google used to be the home of facts, truth, and information, settling any debate within a few minutes. “Google it,” people used to say.
However, the search giant’s pursuit of AI has led to one of the most valuable resources of information becoming about as useful as a chocolate fireguard, and genuinely dangerous too.
The company’s new AI Overview summaries, which accompany traditional searches, are spewing out misinformation. When asked “cheese not sticking to pizza”, Google’s AI Overview recommends using glue. Seriously.
“Add some glue,” says Google. “Mix about 1/8 cup of Elmer’s glue in with the sauce. Non-toxic glue will work.”
Google’s AI answer, which we strongly recommend no one follows for obvious reasons, has been pulled from a comment from a user named “fucksmith” in a decade-old Reddit thread, who was clearly joking about using glue on a pizza.
However, this isn’t the only mistake users have seen from Google’s AI Overview. Others have included that a cat licks your hands to see whether you’re fit for consumption, a dog playing in the NBA, and other mishaps that only serve to give people the wrong information.
Google spokesperson Meghann Farnsworth said the mistakes appear from “generally very uncommon queries, and aren’t representative of most people’s experiences.” (thanks, The Verge). Google also includes a label that its “Generative AI is experimental” at the bottom of any given answer.
But in a world where the truth has been replaced with “my truth” and fake news is rife, it’s clear Google’s AI Overview isn’t ready for the masses. It also begs the question as to where Google is obtaining its information.
Reddit has become a particular favorite with Google’s search ranking algorithm, with discussions usually taking pride of place at the top of a page. But as Reddit is filled with just regular everyday folk, and not usually experts in their field, it sets a dangerous precedent.
AI may be the latest and greatest thing in the tech industry right now, but if it’s currently serving to make a product that millions of people rely on and trust worse, is it really the future?
This won’t be the last time we see AI provide a bizarre answer, but Google needs to take extra precautions to stop the spread of misinformation before people look elsewhere to get the answers they’re after.
Adam Vjestica is The Shortcut’s Senior Editor. Formerly TechRadar’s Gaming Hardware Editor, Adam has also worked at Nintendo of Europe as a Content Marketing Editor where he helped launch the Nintendo Switch. Follow him on X @ItsMrProducts.