Google fumbles Gemini Super Bowl ad's cheese statistic
Google Gemini Super Bowl ad has a cheesy mistake.
- Google’s Gemini AI mistakenly claimed Gouda makes up 50-60% of global cheese consumption in a Super Bowl ad
- After backlash, Google re-edited the ad, blaming inaccurate internet sources rather than AI hallucination
- The incident highlights ongoing concerns about AI-generated misinformation and the need for better fact-checking
Google’s Gemini AI assistant fumbled an ad set to air during the Super Bowl when sharp-eyed viewers spotted a cheesy statistical error. The feel-good ad showcasing how AI can help small businesses featured a Wisconsin cheesemonger using Gemini to generate a product description for Gouda, only for the AI to confidently declare that the cheese accounts for "50 to 60 percent of global cheese consumption." However, this is a full-blown dairy debacle, as there's no evidence that Gouda is anywhere near that popular.
The error was called out on social media, with plenty of cheeseheads deriding the idea that half the world's cheese supply is Gouda. Gemini had done what AI occasionally does: confidently hallucinate an absolute nonsense fact and present it as the truth. At first, Google’s VP Jerry Dischler stepped in to defend Gemini, at least a little bit. He insisted the statistic wasn’t an AI hallucination but came from multiple websites that Gemini had scraped for the statistic.
A quick manual web search confirms that aspect, with the Gouda Illuminati apparently spreading the idea across the internet but never sourced to any actual study or census. Google’s argument that “It’s not our AI’s fault; the internet is just full of bad information.” doesn't exactly make Gemini sound as appealing as Google.
Hey Nate - not a hallucination, Gemini is grounded in the Web - and users can always check the results and references. In this case, multiple sites across the web include the 50-60% stat. Gouda news: many love this cheese! Bada news: not everyone thinks it's as grate.
