Google has once again landed itself in another embarrassing search-related situation after its results showed that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman had died. This false information appeared in Google Search results on Wednesday, prompting users on Reddit and X to share screenshots of the result and question why the tech giant was showcasing the incorrect information about the OpenAI chief.
The American tech company later acknowledged the issue and stated that the information was no longer appearing in Search. Responding to a post on X, the company tweeted, “Thanks for flagging – this is no longer appearing, and was not a manual change by Google.”
How Google Showed The Wrong Information?
The mistake seemed to be linked due to a false change made to Sam Altman’s Wikipedia page. Reportedly, someone edited the page and incorrectly added information suggesting that the OpenAI chief was no more. Wikipedia is one of the online sources that Google uses when it gathers information for its Search features. When the information from such sources is picked up by the tech giant’s automated systems, it may appear in areas such as information panels and other Search features.
Notably, this is not the first time Google’s Search made a mistake. Earlier in May, Google could not sell its own name incorrectly. Times Now verified that when asked how many Ps are there in the word ‘Google’, it responded, “Two.” Similarly, Google Search also made mistakes earlier with the spelling of poop. It had stated that there is one ‘R’ in its spelling.
Additionally, the list did not end here. Google’s AI overview also thought that there are two ‘D’s in the spelling of ‘journalism’ and spells it like ‘j-o-u-r-n-a-d-i-s-m’.
