Alerted by some strange and even dangerous results, Google is modifying its search engine

Google has taken steps to develop its new AI Overviews search engine, powered by generative artificial intelligence (AI), after people reported strange or potentially dangerous answers. The group told AFP on Friday that it had done so “We acted quickly when justified under our content regulations.”.

Blogger Der Obasanjo notably showed that when asked how many US presidents were Muslim, AI Overviews responded that Barack Obama was as well. “Some consider him the first Muslim president.”. Referring to this example, a Google spokesperson explained that this is the result “You violated our policies and we removed them.”.

Unusual and dangerous answers

Another Internet user, through his account called PixelButts on X (formerly Twitter), posted a screenshot showing the response to the request. “Cheese doesn't stick to pizza”. AI Overviews suggests adding glue in addition to mixing the cheese with the sauce “Non-toxic” With cheese to make it more sticky. Independent journalist Christy Haynes claimed on X that this response was inspired by a comment posted on the social media network Reddit more than a decade ago.

The new head of satirical website The Onion has highlighted the relationship between certain responses and humorous content published online on its platform. Among the examples, AI Overview claims that the CIA has officially admitted to using black markers. The search engine misuses a satirical article from The Onion, arguing that illegible paragraphs in agency documents are the result of an error rather than a desire to hide specific content.

Google “These examples are used to develop improvements to our system, some of which have already been implemented.”“, commented the spokesperson. In mid-May, Google introduced the AI ​​Overviews feature, which presents written text in response to a search and is no longer just links to sites, as was the case until now. The links have not disappeared, but are placed below the text, and are likely to please Its content alone intrigues users.