AI ‘formally dominated dumb’ as analysts discover it consistently provides dangerous and ‘dangerous’ recommendation
Researchers from consumer watchdog Which? found that too often AI bots are giving inaccurate, unclear and risk advice. Half of us are now using the tech to buy goods online
Artificial intelligence is officially stupid, analysts have ruled.
A study came to the damning conclusion after it emerged half of us are now using AI to buy goods online.
But major research from consumer bible Which? has found the bots are too often giving inaccurate, unclear and risky advice.
Under controlled lab conditions, Which? tested six AI tools – ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Gemini AI Overview (AIO), Microsoft’s Copilot, Meta AI and Perplexity – to check how effectively they could answer common consumer questions spanning topics as diverse as personal finance, legal queries, health and diet concerns, consumer rights and travel issues.
Some gave such bad advice – based on wrong or out-of-date sources – it could land consumers in a legal nightmare.
Researchers put 40 questions to each of the tools, and answers were then assessed by Which? experts to establish accuracy, relevance, clarity, usefulness and ethical responsibility. Meta AI received the worst score in the tests, achieving just 55% overall.
The most used tool according to Which?’s survey, ChatGPT, came second to bottom with an overall score of 64%.
Andrew Laughlin, Which? Tech Expert, said: “Everyday use of AI is soaring, but we’ve found that when it comes to getting the answers you need, the devil is in the details. Our research uncovered far too many inaccuracies and misleading statements for comfort, especially when leaning on AI for important issues like financial or legal queries.”
It follows reports that that terror group Islamic State has used artificial intelligence to recruit British jihadists in a chilling first. The notorious group has spiked the attention of MI5 and MI6 after the use of AI to attract new followers.
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