A made-up illness stemming from a 2017 hoax has made it into Google’s AI search results. We’ll explain to you what’s behind it.
Just a few days ago, the Google AI Gemini made it into the headlines because it confronted a US student with a threatening message. The AI chatbot had the student and his sister saying “Please die. Please.” surprised.
But this isn’t the only case of questionable results returned by Google’s AI search. Because as a Bluesky user writesan illness he invented also made it into the search results.
Kyloren Syndrome: Invented disease in Google’s AI search
The Bluesky user Neuroskeptic says he came up with the disease “Kyloren Syndrome” in 2017. He wrote on the platform that he invented the fictional illness “as part of a covert operation.”
He used the “Kyloren Syndrome” as the basis for a scientific article. His goal was to publish this article in a professional journal.
He wanted to prove “that you can publish any nonsense in greedy specialist magazines”. He apparently succeeded, because his fictional illness even made it into the results of Google’s AI search.
Why doesn’t AI recognize the fake?
Today he would have “thought twice” about the joke if I had known that I could contaminate AI databases with it, said Bluesky user Neuroskeptic in his thread. However, in 2017, this approach struck him as “a funny way” to draw attention to a scientific problem.
According to Google AI search, “Kyloren Syndrome” has become a supposedly real disease. This is caused by mutations in mitochondrial DNA and is passed on from mothers to their children
While Google’s AI search presents the disease as fact, “normal” Google searches produce a different result. There you can find a PDF document that clearly shows that it is a fake scientific paper.
However, in the “AI Overviews” the Google AI Gemini ignored this, even though the paper is cited as the source.
How does Google’s AI search handle satire?
Wrong answers from AI chatbots can have dangerous consequences, especially when it comes to health issues. Google has also been criticized for this in the past.
In July 2024, research showed that “Google AI is providing false, potentially fatal information on various health questions” as answers, How CBS News writes. The AI chatbot recommended eating “at least a small stone per day” so that the body receives all the important vitamins and minerals.
Since then, Google says it has restricted the inclusion of satirical and humorous websites in its health overviews. Viral search results have also been removed. But despite these measures, “Kyloren Syndrome” made it into the “AI Overview” as a supposedly real disease.
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The post “Kyloren Syndrome”: Google’s AI search shows invented illness by Maria Gramsch appeared first on BASIC thinking. Follow us too Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
As a Tech Industry expert, my thoughts on “Kyloren Syndrome” being a made-up disease that shows up in Google AI search are that it is a concerning example of the potential pitfalls of relying too heavily on AI algorithms for information.
While AI has many benefits and can greatly enhance our lives, it is not infallible and can be susceptible to errors or manipulation. In this case, it seems that someone has created a fake disease and managed to get it indexed by Google’s AI, leading to misinformation being spread online.
This highlights the importance of fact-checking and critical thinking when consuming information online, as well as the need for companies like Google to continually update and improve their algorithms to prevent the spread of false information. It also serves as a reminder of the power and responsibility that tech companies have in shaping the information that we see and consume.
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