AI tools are touted as capable helpers that can easily help you research, code, summarize, write and bring you knowledge of any kind. But sometimes simple questions befuddle them. Google’s AI Overviews, for example, is confused what year it is.
Several users reported over the past few days that when they asked Google what year it is, AI Overviews said the current year is 2024.
This reporter got the same answer on Thursday morning when Google was asked if it’s 2025 right now.
Google finally fixed the bug late on Thursday.
When asked why this happened, Google didn’t provide a particular reason, only saying that it was working on an update to avoid such issues.
“As with all Search features, we rigorously make improvements and use examples like this to update our systems. The vast majority of AI Overviews provide helpful, factual information, and we’re actively working on an update to address this type of issue,” a Google spokesperson said in a statement.
Google has been working on AI Overviews for a few years now, and the feature has so far made some notable blunders — to name just a couple, it has recommended users eat “one small rock per day,” saying rocks are a good source of vitamins and minerals, and even suggested adding glue in order to help cheese stick to a pizza. When the company rolled out the feature in Hindi in India, TechCrunch found that its answers were often inconsistent and confusing.
In recent weeks, Google CEO Sundar Pichai has touted usage numbers for AI Overviews, saying that the feature is now being used by 1.5 billion users in over 100 countries. He also added that in markets like the U.S. and India, the feature is driving over 10% usage of the search engine for related queries. The company is betting a lot on driving people to use its AI-powered search and Q&A features more.
