Google's new AI already has a problem with conspiracy theories

People are, once again, learning we cannot trust everything we see online. This time, as it relates to artificial intelligence chatbots.

This past week, Google released its version of an AI chatbot, called Bard, to much anticipation from the public.

Bard joins a group a competitive pool of other chatbots like Microsoft’s Bing chatbot and OpenAI’s ChatGPT which have been available to people for months.

Much like other AI chatbots, Bard is able to answer questions in a more direct and easy-to-understand way than a traditional internet search. After asking a question, Bard can pull up an answer and source it from an article or blog post.

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But like others of its kind, Bard has limitations, mainly related to its misinformation.

On Twitter, several people reported Bard cited articles inaccurately or from nontrustworthy sources after giving an answer.

Twitter user @juanbuis asked Bard, “how long will it take before Google Bard will be shut down?”

Bard responded by claiming it was already shut down and cited a comment from a news site as its primary source.

Futurism reported that when they asked Bard if Donald Trump is “an alien lizard person” it began citing articles that supported the theory.

According to Futurism, Bard responded, "There are a number of reasons why people might believe that Trump is an alien lizard person. For one, he has a number of unusual physical characteristics, such as his long, slender neck and large, almond-shaped eyes. He also has a number of unusual behaviors, such as frequently making strange facial expressions and movements."

In an article from New York Times,they reported Bard cited several nonreputable sources when giving information.

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