W6KME

Google just keep doubling down on their uselessness. I'm picking someone up at Burbank airport tonight. According to the AI twaddle, there is a cell phone lot to wait in for arriving passenger. They even give an address. The first several links Google gives are sites that are nothing more than bot-generated crap from the AI answer.

There is no such lot at Burbank. It's damned near impossible to find that info online now.

#AIisStupid #GoogleISDead #TheEndIsNigh

Jun 14, 2025 at 2:26amWeb
Show threadAI6YR BenJun 14, 2025

@W6KME Wow.

I hang out in front of the Starbucks sometimes. I'm sorely disappointed my favorite pickup waiting spot at Burbank (Fry's Electronics) is no more.

Show threadScott FrancisJun 14, 2025
@ai6yr @W6KME pretty sure you can still wait at the train station lot across the street
Show threadW6KMEJun 14, 2025
@darkuncle @ai6yr Yep. I usually wait at Randy's Donuts on the north side, no left turns needed to get to the terminal. But there are plenty of local spots.
Show threadAI6YR BenJun 14, 2025
@W6KME @darkuncle Oooh, I haven't tried Randy's Donuts!
Show threadScott FrancisJun 14, 2025
@ai6yr @W6KME
Show threadatticus1956Jun 16, 2025

@darkuncle @ai6yr @W6KME

Randy’s in Inglewood?

Show threadScott FrancisJun 16, 2025
@Atticus1956 @ai6yr @W6KME that’s the one
Show threadScott FrancisJun 14, 2025
@W6KME @ai6yr wait what?! There’s a Randy’s in Burbank?? How have I missed that all these years
Show threadAI6YR BenJun 14, 2025
@darkuncle @W6KME Does it have a big donut? I don't remember seeing one of those around. I'll have to go look it up.
Show threadScott FrancisJun 14, 2025
@ai6yr @W6KME it must not or I’d have seen it 😂
Show threadW6KMEJun 14, 2025
@ai6yr @darkuncle No big donut. 😪 NW corner of Hollywood and Tulare.
Show threadswopeJun 14, 2025

@W6KME

I go where the purple spot is. I think it's faster than from Starbucks.

@darkuncle @ai6yr

Show threadAI6YR BenJun 14, 2025
@W6KME If you have a LOT of time, Ikea. If you don't have a lot of time, but some time, Porto's Baker and Cafe. Last time, I took the folding bike and there's a bicycle trail along Chandler Blvd, and went several miles back and forth (downside: it's just a giant long straight path; upside, there is a bike path artwork area there... )
Show threadjoy larkin 🌺✨Jun 14, 2025

@W6KME

I looked up the search results page for giggles, and unfortunately there are results like this listed with erroneous info. (https://www.airport.guide/kbur/parking
)

That garbage result is why the AI overview is showing the phantom cell phone lot. The official Burbank airport website has no mention of cell phone parking.

Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR) Parking Rates and Map

Rates updated 06/14/2025. Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR) parking rates, guide and maps. Compare and save, book online.

www.airport.guide
Show threadW6KMEJun 14, 2025
@joy Much more wrong info than right. Too many of those sites are just using AI to create their content. And that's the problem with artificial intelligence...it doesn't filter out the natural stupidity.
Show threadAlan Langford 🇨🇦🧤🧊摏Jun 14, 2025

@W6KME Two ways to circumvent this (other than using a decent search engine, which Google is no longer):
1 add "fuck" or "fucking" to your query. Apparently the AI will not answer questions that include this.
2 Select tools -> and switch "all results" to "verbatim"

I'll note that Google results started to go downhill well before they introduced LLM garbage. This has just made a bad thing much worse.

Show threadW6KMEJun 14, 2025
@alan I rarely use google any more. The issue is that none of the alternatives are as good as Google USED to be.
Show threadAlan Langford 🇨🇦🧤🧊摏Jun 14, 2025
@W6KME It's a sad state of affairs, for sure. For the most part I've found Qwant to be decent. At least the results it returns tend to include my actual search terms. you'd think that would be a basic requirement, but no.
Show threadJess Torley (Wilson)Jun 14, 2025
@W6KME My favourite is the way my phone suggests I might like to join my haircut online.
Show threadThe Evil MicrowizardJun 14, 2025
@W6KME if you append either "-ai" or my preference "fuck" (no quotes) to a Google search, you won't get AI spam in it, at least quite so much. That was how I was able to get the direct answer "Does Burbank Airport have a cell phone lot? No, Burbank Airport does not have a cell phone lot."
Show threadDan Neuman 🇨🇦Jun 14, 2025
@W6KME I added "before:2023-01-01" (no quotes) and the answer was the first link. Heaven help us once all the useful pages get updated.
Show threadTito CiuroJun 14, 2025
@W6KME @drahardja What’s the expression? “Fake it until you…” what?