The Glue on Pizza Dilemma: Unveiling the Flaw in Tech Companies’ AI Obsession

Google Search has introduced a new feature called “AI Overviews,” aiming to provide users with quick and concise answers to their queries. However, this fancy-schmancy feature seems to have hit a snag, as evidenced by a recent screenshot shared on social media platform X-formerly-Twitter. In this particular case, the user had searched for a perplexing culinary dilemma: “Cheese not sticking to pizza.” What followed was a rather unconventional response from Google’s AI Overview, suggesting that mixing cheese into the sauce could be the solution. Sounds reasonable, right? Well, not quite.

Internet sleuths quickly uncovered that the seemingly insightful advice provided by Google’s AI Overview might not be as cutting-edge as one would hope. In fact, it bore an uncanny resemblance to a comment made on Reddit a staggering 11 years ago by a user with the rather colorful moniker of fucksmith. It appears that the AI might have taken this ancient snippet a tad too seriously, leading to a rather absurd recommendation that is leaving many scratching their heads.

This incident sheds light on a broader issue plaguing AI technology—the pitfalls of relying solely on internet data to train generative models. Google’s decision to invest a hefty $60 million in a partnership with Reddit for AI training purposes seems to have come back to bite them. By using random Reddit posts as sources of information, Google’s AI Overview is now dispensing advice that ranges from questionable to downright ludicrous. The line between valuable insights and internet tomfoolery is becoming increasingly blurred.

The real kicker here is that the correct answer to the cheese-pizza conundrum was right there, buried in the original Reddit thread that Google’s AI seemingly drew inspiration from. A user with the handle rotzak succinctly pointed out the root cause: “Too much sauce, bro.” It seems that the wisdom of the crowd sometimes outshines the AI algorithms that scour the depths of the internet for answers.

As users navigate the digital landscape in search of answers, it becomes crucial to discern the source and credibility of the information they encounter. While AI technology undoubtedly has its merits, instances like the cheese-sticking debacle serve as a reminder that human oversight and critical thinking are irreplaceable. So, the next time you seek advice on a pizza-related dilemma, perhaps it’s best to stick with the age-old mantra: trust but verify.