In another edition of "AI Does the Funniest Things," one internet user found a hilarious mistake made by the smart technology when seeking an answer to a culinary question.
After using a Google search box to find out what makes a sauce different from a dressing, they got an unusual response from an artificial intelligence plug-in.
"The main difference between a sauce and a dressing is their purpose: sauces add flavor and texture to dishes, while dressings are used to protect wounds," the computer replied.
After a couple of scrolls down the webpage, the AI delivered a picture of a salad dressing next to a similar medical-related description.
"Somedays I just love AI so much," said Justin Joque (@jjoque) — the person who found the funny AI quirk — on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Somedays I just love AI so much pic.twitter.com/QgSPMeOcKb
— Justin Joque (@jjoque) October 10, 2024
While this is undoubtedly a humorous mistake, perhaps proving that our reliance on AI should be tempered, one X user saw the automated misunderstanding as further fuel for their annoyance at computer-generated intervention.
"Why is google doing this to us?" they asked. "Why can't we turn this crap off? There isn't even a way to block it using 3rd party programs. You HAVE TO see it."
Indeed, this user experience was made worse, and it's not the first time AI has gotten under someone's skin. Seeing this regularly can be discouraging, if not altogether unhelpful.
That said, there actually is at least one environmentally friendly way to turn it off, so to speak, and it may even help to fund the planting of trees. The Ecosia extension for Chrome allows users to replace Google as the browser's default search engine (meaning you can still type a search directly into the address bar) with Ecosia's own search platform. There is no AI with these results, and the company says it donates its profits from ads to the planet, noting it has already planted 200 million trees across 35 countries.
Speaking of the planet, AI has a significant negative environmental impact. According to the International Energy Agency, using ChatGPT — a popular AI program — to answer a question consumes 10 times the electricity of a Google search. In Ireland, which is increasingly becoming a major hub for AI technology, it's expected that the energy use of data centers will account for 35% of the nation's energy consumption by 2026.
While sustainable power — such as that created from solar panels and wind turbines — is an increasing part of the energy mix, and many companies running data centers are beginning to invest in small modular nuclear reactors, the electricity grid is still mostly powered by power stations that run on dirty fuel.
This high consumption results in excessive planet-warming pollution, and rising global temperatures are making living conditions worse; increasing the risk of illnesses; and making extreme weather conditions more likely, more powerful, and longer lasting.
Meanwhile, the U.N. Environment Programme has pointed out that data centers need water for cooling the necessary infrastructure. Citing one study, worldwide AI-related infrastructure is expected to consume six times more water than Denmark in the coming years. This is a drain on a precious resource needed for the survival of the human race.
Also, the data centers needed to house AI deployments rely on a lot of raw materials as well as rare earth metals for the creation of microchips. What's more, they produce electronic waste, often in the form of hazardous substances such as mercury and lead.
While AI mistakes are funny, they should also serve as a reminder of what the technology costs the planet. When the results aren't helpful or even requested, which users pointed out is the case more often than not, it makes the damage they cause even less justifiable.
Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Cool Picks
