Google’s AI Misidentifies Aircraft in India Crash, Spreading Misinformation Amid Tragedy

When significant events unfold, most people turn to Google for immediate information. However, Google’s AI Overview feature, known for its previous inaccuracies, has once again come under fire.

Following a devastating plane crash in India, Google’s AI mistakenly reported that the incident involved an Airbus aircraft. In reality, the aircraft was a Boeing 787.

Confusion Amidst Tragedy

With increased awareness about different aircraft models, especially following multiple incidents involving Boeing’s 737 series, travelers today are more sensitive to such details.

The tragic crash of Air India Flight 171, reportedly claiming over 200 lives, has driven a spike in online searches related to airline disasters.

Unfortunately, due to how generative AI works, some users looking for information may end up misinformed by AI-generated summaries on Google’s results page.

While AI-generated answers are not shown for every query, Google has gradually expanded the feature since its launch last year. A Reddit user recently encountered a significant error while searching for crashes involving Airbus aircraft.

The AI Overview incorrectly stated that an Airbus A330 had crashed shortly after takeoff. In reality, it was a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner that was involved in the tragedy.

Inconsistent and Inaccurate AI Responses

Further tests revealed inconsistent AI responses—some results mentioned Boeing, others Airbus, and a few even mixed details from both manufacturers.

This inconsistency raises concerns about the reliability of Google’s AI-generated content, particularly in sensitive scenarios like air disasters.

Why did the AI reference the Air India crash under an Airbus search? One likely explanation is that many articles about the crash also mention Airbus as Boeing’s competitor.

Since AI Overviews summarize content without a true understanding of context, the AI may have inaccurately connected Airbus to the incident.

Limitations of Generative AI

Generative AI is inherently non-deterministic, meaning identical inputs can yield different outputs each time. This trait makes it difficult to predict the accuracy of results.

Although Google includes a disclaimer on AI Overviews stating that “AI answers may include mistakes,” this warning often goes unnoticed, especially when the AI presents incorrect information with confidence.

This situation could potentially anger Airbus, which was wrongly implicated. Conversely, it might offer unintended relief for Boeing, which has already suffered reputational harm from earlier safety issues.

Google Responds to the Error

In response to the controversy, Google informed Ars Technica that it had removed the incorrect AI-generated response. The company issued the following statement:

“As with all Search features, we rigorously make improvements and use examples like this to update our systems. This response is no longer showing. We maintain a high quality bar with all Search features, and the accuracy rate for AI Overviews is on par with other features like Featured Snippets.”

The AI error was particularly troubling given the scale of the disaster. Described as the worst aviation tragedy in a decade, the crash resulted in approximately 259 fatalities, with further casualties on the ground still under review.

Despite widespread reporting that the plane was a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, Google’s AI had inaccurately identified the aircraft as an Airbus A330-243.

Search Results Stir Legal and Ethical Concerns

Just hours after the crash, a user posted a screenshot of their search results where the AI Overview made the false claim. Ars Technica was the first to highlight the Reddit thread detailing the issue.

The user mentioned that the search term used was “last fatal Airbus crash,” which led to the incorrect result. A current search of the same phrase no longer shows any AI Overview, as Google has removed it, along with other related searches such as “Airbus Air India.”

The Reddit post also sparked speculation about legal consequences. One user questioned whether Airbus might sue Google for defamation, arguing that the AI’s error unfairly implicated the company in a disaster caused by its rival.

From a user standpoint, the search term “last fatal Airbus crash” is far from obscure, especially amid rising scrutiny over Boeing. Given that Airbus is Boeing’s primary competitor, such queries are reasonable and common.

Ongoing Challenges for Google’s AI

While Google maintains that its AI performs on par with other features, hallucinations remain a well-documented issue in generative AI.

Google’s Gemini and other AI tools across the industry have shown similar errors, producing confidently incorrect outputs.

The tech community continues to grapple with the challenges of making AI-generated content trustworthy. Until these systems can better understand context and verify facts, such incidents may persist, raising serious concerns about the role of AI in disseminating public information.