Close Menu
Technology Mag

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the latest creative news from FooBar about art, design and business.

    What's Hot

    I Can’t Stop Playing Duolingo Chess

    August 23, 2025

    Gear News of the Week: Always-Recording Smart Glasses, and Google Teases a New Nest Speaker

    August 23, 2025

    The PlayStation 5 Is About to Get More Expensive

    August 23, 2025
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    Subscribe
    Technology Mag
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube
    • Home
    • News
    • Business
    • Games
    • Gear
    • Reviews
    • Science
    • Security
    • Trending
    • Press Release
    Technology Mag
    Home » Google Admits Its AI Overviews Search Feature Screwed Up
    Business

    Google Admits Its AI Overviews Search Feature Screwed Up

    News RoomBy News RoomJune 3, 20242 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Reddit WhatsApp Email

    When bizarre and misleading answers to search queries generated by Google’s new AI Overview feature went viral on social media last week, the company issued statements that generally downplayed the notion the technology had problems. Late Thursday, the company’s head of search, Liz Reid, admitted that the flubs had highlighted areas that needed improvement, writing, “We wanted to explain what happened and the steps we’ve taken.”

    Reid’s post directly referenced two of the most viral, and wildly incorrect, AI Overview results. One saw Google’s algorithms endorse eating rocks because doing so “can be good for you,” and the other suggested using nontoxic glue to thicken pizza sauce.

    Rock eating is not a topic many people were ever writing or asking questions about online, so there aren’t many sources for a search engine to draw on. According to Reid, the AI tool found an article from The Onion, a satirical website, that had been reposted by a software company, and it misinterpreted the information as factual.

    As for Google telling its users to put glue on pizza, Reid effectively attributed the error to a sense of humor failure. “We saw AI Overviews that featured sarcastic or troll-y content from discussion forums,” she wrote. “Forums are often a great source of authentic, first-hand information, but in some cases can lead to less-than-helpful advice, like using glue to get cheese to stick to pizza.”

    It’s probably best not to make any kind of AI-generated dinner menu without carefully reading it through first.

    Reid also suggested that judging the quality of Google’s new take on search based on viral screenshots would be unfair. She claimed the company did extensive testing before its launch and that the company’s data shows people value AI Overviews, including by indicating that people are more likely to stay on a page discovered that way.

    Why the embarassing failures? Reid characterized the mistakes that won attention as the result of an internet-wide audit that wasn’t always well intended. “There’s nothing quite like having millions of people using the feature with many novel searches. We’ve also seen nonsensical new searches, seemingly aimed at producing erroneous results.”

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
    Previous ArticleDyson’s New Smart Hair Dryer Is Unfortunately Worth Every Penny
    Next Article Windows feature that screenshots everything labeled a security “disaster”

    Related Posts

    Join Us for WIRED’s “Uncanny Valley” Live

    August 22, 2025

    Kanye West Said Memecoins ‘Prey On Fans.’ Then He Apparently Launched One

    August 22, 2025

    Africa Is Buying a Record Number of Chinese Solar Panels

    August 22, 2025

    Trump Is Betting Big on Intel. Will the Chips Fall His Way?

    August 22, 2025

    Why Did a $10 Billion Startup Let Me Vibe-Code for Them—and Why Did I Love It?

    August 21, 2025

    Do Large Language Models Dream of AI Agents?

    August 21, 2025
    Our Picks

    Gear News of the Week: Always-Recording Smart Glasses, and Google Teases a New Nest Speaker

    August 23, 2025

    The PlayStation 5 Is About to Get More Expensive

    August 23, 2025

    The Fairphone 6 no longer feels like a compromise (except in the US)

    August 23, 2025

    Will Trump help 4Chan escape the UK’s Online Safety Act?

    August 23, 2025
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Pinterest
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • Vimeo
    Don't Miss
    Science

    FEMA Now Requires Disaster Victims to Have an Email Address

    By News RoomAugust 23, 2025

    The changes to survivor signup have been made inside the program that the agency uses…

    At This Point, It’s Impossible to Know What the Trump Phone Looks Like

    August 23, 2025

    Data Brokers Face New Pressure for Hiding Opt-Out Pages From Google

    August 23, 2025

    Lenovo Coupon Codes and Deals: Student Discounts, Back-to-School Sales, and More

    August 23, 2025
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of use
    • Advertise
    • Contact
    © 2025 Technology Mag. All Rights Reserved.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.