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 threadAkaSci 🛰️
@mcnees
@coreyspowell
The Google algorithm might be dumber than we think it is. It is perhaps just matching words with recent search results and articles that contain the search words.
Jul 19, 2023 at 2:43amWeb
Show threadCorey S PowellJul 19, 2023
@AkaSci @mcnees The unnerving thing here is that the algorithm can be dumb as a post and still help spread disinformation. If a lot of people search for a wild, unvetted result, and Google then declares that result to be the default "truth," that's a problem.
Show threadWinchell Chung ⚛🚀Jul 19, 2023

@coreyspowell @AkaSci @mcnees

For me the unnerving part is: this is dangerous knowledge for evil actors deliberately trying to spread misinformation

Show threadPeter Kisner ≈Jul 19, 2023

@nyrath @coreyspowell @AkaSci @mcnees
Maybe tangential to the discussion, but a couple uninformed questions increasingly on my mind:

Are there better search engines currently?
What are the pros and cons of various non-Google search utilities?

#Google #SearchEngine