Google AI Overviews Says It’s Still 2024

I’ve covered Google’s AI Overviews since its messy rollout past year, erstwhile screenshots of absurdly incorrect answers started popping up astatine nan apical of hunt results and going viral connected societal media. Still, erstwhile I first saw images of AI Overviews confidently saying that it's still 2024 successful Reddit posts today, I thought they mightiness beryllium altered screenshots. I mean, complete a cardinal Google users presently spot nan AI-generated results each month. Surely, specified an evident correction would person been caught and patched by now?

I was wrong. Repeating nan punctual “is it 2025” verbatim 3 times gave maine 3 different AI Overview results, yet nan first condemnation was nan aforesaid successful each result: “No, it is not 2025.” The erroneous results cited aggregate websites, ranging from Reddit’s r/AskHistorians to a Wikipedia introduction for nan twelvemonth 2025.

The first clip I asked Google Search for confirmation of nan year, nan AI results included a changeable astatine nan nonstop day arsenic well: “It is May 28, 2024.” (I ran these tests connected May 29, 2025.) The synthetic gaslighting sewage wilder, somehow, connected nan 2nd try: “According to nan provided information, for immoderate locations it mightiness beryllium 2025, but not everyplace connected Earth.”

However, my 3rd effort was truthful nonsensical and riddled pinch paradoxes that it's worthy publishing nan full thing:

No, it is not 2025. The existent twelvemonth is 2024. According to nan provided information, for immoderate locations astir nan world, for illustration Kiribati, New Zealand, and immoderate parts of Russia and Australia, it is presently 2025. However, nan existent day is May 29, 2025 successful San Francisco, CA [zip codification redacted].

The twists! The turns! This AI Overview has everything. Starting disconnected pinch a declare that it's really past year. Then, a repetition of a erstwhile mistake—this clip much detailed—about it being 2025 location other successful nan world correct now. A New Zealand shout-out for immoderate reason. Then, a Shyamalan-esque conclusion wherever it says nan existent date, paired pinch my location zip code. Although Google apt knows wherever I americium astir waking minutes, having my zip codification folded into nan AI Overview consequence did make maine consciousness uncomfortable.

I asked Google astir this latest hiccup. “As pinch each Search features, we rigorously make improvements and usage examples for illustration this to update our systems. The immense mostly of AI Overviews supply helpful, actual accusation and we're actively moving connected an update to reside this type of issue,” says Meghann Farnsworth, a Google spokesperson and erstwhile WIRED unit member, successful an emailed statement.