Fake Google AI Overview Screenshots Go Viral After New Feature's Rollout
Google's new AI Overview feature, which uses generative AI to summarize answers to search queries and displays them at the top of search results, rolled out to American users in mid-May 2024 amid unexpected controversy. Users reported encountering nonsensical, factually inaccurate, or potentially dangerous responses to their queries and shared screenshots of them on social media.
Viral Fake AI Overview Example
This example, touting the addition of glue to pizza sauce "to give it more tackiness," quickly went viral. "Google's AI search results said you could put glue in pizza sauce to keep the cheese from sliding off. Google had obviously ingested a Reddit comment that was meant as a joke — but the AI didn't get it. I still went ahead and made a pizza with 1/8 of a cup of glue," a Business Insider correspondent wrote.
Confirmation of Fake Screenshots
In an email to Snopes, Google spokesperson Ned Adriance confirmed that "pizza glue" and other specific examples of odd or inappropriate AI Overview results were authentic. However, he also alerted that some examples of AI Overview "mistakes" circulating online were fake and spreading harmful misinformation.
Spread of Misinformation
One particularly alarming fake screenshot showed an AI Overview result suggesting self-harm, which never actually appeared. This fabricated image spread widely on social media platforms like Reddit and Instagram. This led to widespread misinformation and confusion among users.
Impact of Fake Screenshots
Adriance provided examples of doctored images falsely presented as real AI Overviews, fueling further concerns about the spread of misinformation. It's critical for users to verify the authenticity of information shared online to combat the dissemination of false content.
Conclusion
As the proliferation of fake AI Overview screenshots continues, it's essential for users to exercise caution and critical thinking when consuming information online. Verify the authenticity of sources before sharing to prevent the spread of harmful misinformation.
