Tech Giants' 'Stumbling Blocks' in AI Promotion: Google's AI Overview Frequently Errs, Businesses Fight Back
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A restaurant owner in Montana is pleading with customers to stop using Google's AI Overview to check daily specials, as the system repeatedly provides incorrect information, leading to staff being yelled at by angry customers.
According to First Alert4, Eva Gannon, owner of Stefanina's Wentzville in Montana, stated that Google's AI system often pushes false promotions to customers, even fabricating entire menu items out of thin air. For example, the system once erroneously told customers that the restaurant was selling large pizzas at the price of small ones.
'As a small business, we can't honor Google AI's special offers,' Gannon told the local TV station helplessly. She added, 'We have no control over what Google publishes or says.' The restaurant made it clear in a strongly worded Facebook post that Google AI is inaccurate and urged customers to visit their Facebook page or website for correct information instead.
This phenomenon, known as 'hallucination,' is a common flaw in AI chatbots and large language models, where they generate seemingly plausible but entirely false information. Despite Google's AI Overview being widely mocked for its instability (for example, it once suggested people put glue on pizza), many users still seem unaware of the inherent unreliability of these tools.
Stefanina's Wentzville is not the only victim. In June, a solar company in Minnesota sued Google for defamation, claiming that its AI Overview system spread false information about the company, damaging its business. The system had falsely claimed that the company was facing lawsuits for fraudulent sales practices.
Although Google is actively promoting its AI model, encouraging users to 'Ask Google First,' and announcing that the AI model can now help users book restaurants, the above cases of errors demonstrate that users should not rely entirely on these AI tools for factual information or decision-making.