GOOGLE’S AI TOOL UNDER FIRE FOR FALSELY CLAIMING OBAMA IS MUSLIM, CATS ON MOON

Google is facing criticism after its new Artificial Intelligence (AI) search feature provided users with erratic and misleading information, such as claims that former U.S. President Barack Obama is Muslim and that astronauts played with cats on the Moon.

The tech giant is reevaluating its recently launched AI search tool, which aimed to streamline online information access. The tool, known as ‘AI Overviews,’ has been under scrutiny after delivering bizarre and false responses to users.

Users quickly took to social media to highlight the tool’s errors, including suggesting the use of “non-toxic glue” to make cheese stick to pizza better and claiming geologists recommend humans eat one rock per day.

When an Associated Press reporter asked if cats have been on the Moon, Google’s AI responded affirmatively, citing false anecdotes involving astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.

Another false claim emerged when the AI asserted that Barack Obama, a long-debunked conspiracy theory, is Muslim. This response occurred when computer scientist Melanie Mitchell asked how many Muslims have been U.S. presidents. The AI cited an academic book chapter, but the chapter did not support the claim.

Mitchell criticized the AI’s reliability, stating that it failed to verify the citation’s accuracy. She suggested that the AI Overview feature is irresponsible and should be taken offline.

In addition to these wild claims, the AI search engine made simple factual errors, such as incorrectly stating that none of Africa’s 54 countries start with the letter ‘K,’ overlooking Kenya.

In response, Google announced on May 24 that it is taking swift action to correct the errors, including the false claim about Obama, which violates its content policies. The company maintains that the system generally provides high-quality information and that many problematic examples involved uncommon queries or were doctored.

Despite similar issues with other AI tools, Google’s errors are particularly concerning given its dominance in the search engine market, accounting for over 90% of global market share according to Statcounter. Experts like Emily Bender, a linguistics professor at the University of Washington, warn that users might accept these flawed answers, especially in urgent situations, which could have serious consequences.