Robert McNeesJul 18, 2023

If anyone is wondering how google is doing, it is giving incorrect answers to the query “How old is the Universe?”

Instead of serving up scientific consensus (just shy of 14 billion years) it is latching onto recent media coverage of a questionable study (tired light, time-dependent coupling constants) claiming a much larger figure.

Notably, it gives me the right answer from an incognito window. But elevating popularity metrics over scientific consensus is a real problem!

Show threadRobert McNeesJul 18, 2023

One reason to worry about this is the possibility that google is using tracking info to decide what response it should serve.

That makes sense for some queries, but not for a scientific question with a consensus answer.

For example, if google decides based on browsing that someone is anti-vaccine, and the person asks how best to protect their kids from measles, how will it respond?

Will you get medical consensus, or a "study" that hasn't been around long enough for serious review?

Show threadRobert McNees

That isn't necessarily what's happening.

I have a google scholar profile, so it may think I want to see new research results.

Maybe it is just serving results based on location, or the fact that I recently clicked on a link to a story about this study. Lots on non-nefarious possibilities!

But something like this still gives me pause! For a scientific question, I don't like the idea of google giving me one answer when it thinks it can see who I am, and a different answer when it can’t.

Jul 18, 2023 at 4:32pmIvory for Mac
Show threadcommchfJul 18, 2023
@mcnees I just asked and I got the new stuff, I had to scroll down a full page to find the consensus number
Show threadChris White finds this vexingJul 18, 2023
@mcnees I have none of those attributes and it gives me the same (in fact I rarely use google, so it shouldn't have too many priors about me).
Show threadMichel Bozgounov 🇺🇦 🇪🇺Jul 18, 2023
@mcnees "That isn't necessarily what's happening. I have a google scholar profile, so it may think I want to see new research results."
I'm afraid that this is exactly what is happening. I am not logged in to Google in my mobile Firefox and this is the result I see... :-/
Show threadMichel Bozgounov 🇺🇦 🇪🇺Jul 19, 2023
@mcnees Interesting. A day later, sam browser, same question, Google returns "13.7 billion years" as answer? Hmm...
Show threadMichel Bozgounov 🇺🇦 🇪🇺Jul 19, 2023
@mcnees And same result (13.7 billion years) even if I rephrase the question...
Show threadHolmJul 19, 2023
@mcnees
Yeah that's odd. I tried, just for fun, while logged in. Got the consensus answer. (Denmark)
Show threadMr. TeatimeJul 21, 2023

@mcnees
I think almost no scenario requires nefarious *intentions* to have very harmful *consequences*.

If the intention was to also serve you recent studies, tje correct way to present that is "This is the established number, and here's some recent work on the matter."

Of course Google does not semantically understand those things, but they could probably indicate what the "majority" results are and what the weighting algorithm preferred, based on x... but that's a trade secret.