A Redditor posted a screenshot of Google's AI feature recommending the poster use Google for its query after entering their query into Google.
The Reddit post was titled, "Google AI Overview suggests using a search engine like Google." The screenshot showed that the OP had searched for "all you can eat buffets near me."
Instead of giving them a list of nearby buffet spots, the AI Overview gave the Redditor this suggestion: "To find an all-you-can-eat buffet near you, you can use online search engines like Google or Yelp, specifying 'all you can eat buffet near me.'"
In what seems like a conversation with the Mad Hatter, the AI suggested the user do what they already did. They should get a list of results, but instead of useful results, the OP got a confused snake eating its own tail.
This is just one example of AI offering unhelpful information that leaves users befuddled and irritated. Many people on the Reddit post groaned about how the AI results are frequently wrong or ridiculous. Redditors wished they could get the old Google, sans AI Overviews, back on their phones and computers.
AI is commandeering search results and frustrating people with weird responses. But it's also hurting the planet. According to the UN Environment Programme, AI creates electronic waste and consumes a large amount of water. This is worsening water scarcity in some places and contributing to the world's e-waste problem.
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The data centers that house AI servers have a significant impact on the planet. From the rare elements needed to craft AI servers to the excessive energy needed to power the facilities, this technology is draining many resources.
This depletion of resources is especially hard for people to swallow when the technology gives absurd answers like the one the OP posted about.
Commenters shared their own strange AI experiences and their many complaints about the tech.
One person wrote, "Literally the most useless thing Google's ever done."
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Definitely 👍 Another shared their own problems with Google AI, saying, "When Gemini replaced Google Assistant on my phone, I kept asking to play music from Spotify while driving with no avail. At one point it started to read the lyrics of a song I wanted."
Someone else even said they were close to giving up on Google, commenting, "Google search keeps sucking more and more. I'm seriously considering switching to (gasp) Bing."
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