INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
When major events occur, most people rush to Google to find information
Increasingly, the first thing they see is an AI Overview, a feature that already has a reputation for making glaring mistakes
In the wake of a tragic plane crash in India, Google's AI search results are spreading misinformation claiming the incident involved an
Boeing's 737 lineup several years ago
Searches for airline disasters are sure to skyrocket in the coming days, with reports that more than 200 passengers and crew lost their
lives in the Air India Flight 171 crash
The way generative AI operates means some people searching for details may get the wrong impression from Google's results page.Not all
searches get AI answers, but Google has been steadily expanding this feature since it debuted last year
One searcher on Reddit spotted a troubling confabulation when searching for crashes involving Airbus planes
AI Overviews, apparently overwhelmed with results reporting on the Air India crash, stated confidently (and incorrectly) that it was an
Airbus A330 that fell out of the sky shortly after takeoff
It's a mess.
In this search, Google's AI says the crash involved an Airbus A330 instead of a Boeing 787.
Credit:
/u/stuckintrraffic
In this
search, Google's AI says the crash involved an Airbus A330 instead of a Boeing 787.
Credit:
/u/stuckintrraffic
But why is Google bringing up the Air India crash at all in the context of Airbus? Unfortunately, it's
different every time, even for identical inputs
Our best guess for the underlying cause is that numerous articles on the Air India crash mention Airbus as Boeing's main competitor
AI Overviews is essentially summarizing these results, and the AI goes down the wrong path because it lacks the ability to understand what
