How Google algorithms can sometimes present some rather bizarre fake news as fact
GOOGLE'S virtual assistant is a sucker for fake news.
The internet giant’s smart speaker, Google Home, has been caught telling its owners that Prime Minister Theresa May is secretly a lizard and Barack Obama is planning to overthrow Trump.
Unfortunately for Google, it appears that its sophisticated algorithms have fallen foul to crackpot conspiracy theories which are being shared online - repeating them when asked questions.
It happens when performing a simple search, too.
When you type a question or name into the Google Search bar, you are met with a "snippet" at the top of the homepage.
For example, when asked "Why do chameleons change colour", it explains that "Scientists believe that chameleons change colour to reflect their moods."
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But its got people giggling after its home assistant, which is widely available in the US and due to hit UK shelves in June, blurted out these little white lies to the masses.
When asked whether Mr Obama was planning a coup, the smart speaker responded with a report from conspiracy site Secrets of the Fed.
It stated: "According to details exposed in Western Centre for Journalism’s exclusive video, not only could Obama be in bed with the communist Chinese, but Obama may in fact be planning a communist coup d’état at the end of his term in 2016!"
Bizarre (and offensive) Google answers
Here are some funny answers when you use the Search tool
Is Elon Musk an alien?
"Evidence That Elon Musk Is an Alien. Last night, Elon Musk suggested that Earth is simply a simulation from an alien race's video game. ... Because he is one of those aliens"
Is Beyonce in the Illuminati?
"Not likely. But here's the thing: she's not. Beyoncé's daughter, naturally, will be inculcated into the Illuminati life, and Jay Z and Beyoncé decided to start that immediately by branding her with the name: "Born Living Under Evil, Illuminati's Very Youngest," according to Pop Dust."
Why are parrots green?
"Actually, the green colour you see is due to the effect of light scattering, reflecting off the feather structure. This is called the Tyndall Effect, and it creates the illusion of certain colours."
Why are fire trucks red?
"Because they have eight wheels and four people on them, and four plus eight makes twelve, and there are twelve inches in a foot, and one foot is a ruler, and Queen Elizabeth was a ruler, and Queen Elizabeth was also a ship, and the ship sailed the ..."
Why do we yawn?
"One is that when we are bored or tired, we just don't breathe as deeply as we usually do. As this theory goes, our bodies take in less oxygen because our breathing has slowed. Therefore, yawning helps us bring more oxygen into the blood and move more carbon dioxide out of the blood." (This has been disproved. Tests have not found that people do not yawn more or less dependant on how much oxygen was in their surroundings.)
Will I go to heaven?
"Pray for those who do not have faith or believe in God. Also go to confession as often as possible. ... According to the Bible, there is only one way to get to heaven: Repenting of your sins, and placing your faith in Jesus Christ, as Lord and Saviour."
What are the dangers of mobile phones?
"There are three main reasons why people are concerned that cell phones (also known as “mobile” or “wireless” telephones) might have the potential to cause certain types of cancer or other health problems: Cell phones emit radiofrequency energy (radio waves), a form of non-ionizing radiation, from their antennas"
Another user was told by Google Home: "According to the Daily Star Theresa May is our new prime minister but already online users have exploded with rumours that she is actually a lizard in disguise".
Other silly answers include claiming that fire trucks are red because of the number of wheels it has, that Elon Musk is an alien and that we yawn to introduce more oxygen to our bodies.
That theory has been disproved, as tests have found humans do not yawn more or less when in surroundings with less oxygen.
The answers clearly state their source, and they come with a flag button if the user believes them to be incorrect.
A Google spokeswoman told Sun Online: "Featured Snippets in Search provide an automatic and algorithmic match to a given search query, and the content comes from third-party sites. Unfortunately, there are instances when we feature a site with inappropriate or misleading content.
"When we are alerted to a Featured Snippet that violates our policies, we work quickly to remove them, which we have done in this instance.
"We apologise for any offence this may have caused."
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