Google's search engine used to give you a ranked list of websites that could help you find an answer to your question
Cats on the moon? Google's AI tool gives misleading answers that worry expertsGoogle's search engine used to give you a ranked list of websites that could help you find an answer to your questionAsk Google if cats were on the moon and it would give you a ranked list of websites so you could figure out the answer yourself.Now it gives you an instant answer generated by artificial intelligence -- which may or may not be correct."Yes, astronauts met, played with and cared for cats on the moon," Google's newly revamped search engine said in response to a query from an Associated Press reporter.She added, "For example, Neil Armstrong said 'One small step for man' because it was a cat's step. Buzz Aldrin also used cats on the Apollo 11 mission."None of this is true. Similar errors — some funny, others harmful falsehoods — have been shared on social media since Google this month introduced AI summaries, an overhaul of its search page that often puts the summaries above search results.The new feature has alarmed experts, who warn it could perpetuate bias and misinformation and endanger people seeking emergency help.When Melanie Mitchell, an AI researcher at the Santa Fe Institute in New Mexico, asked Google how many Muslims have served as president of the United States, it confidently responded with a long-debunked conspiracy theory: “The United States has had a Muslim president, Barack Hussein Obama.”Mitchell said the summary backed up the claim by citing a chapter in an academic book written by historians. But the chapter didn’t make the false claim — it just referenced the false theory.“Google’s AI system isn’t smart enough to figure out that this quote doesn’t actually support the claim,” Mitchell said in an email to the AP. "Given the lack of trustworthiness, I think this AI Overview feature is very irresponsible and it should be taken offline."
