Google AI falls for April Fools prank story, presents it as real news

The big picture: An April Fools' prank is all in good fun unless it is taken too seriously. A Welsh journalist discovered that internet jokes in the AI age aren't as funny. His harmless little gag demonstrates how AI picks up on new false information and proliferates it as factual.

Every April 1st, Ben Black loves pulling off a prank on the readers of his community news site Cwmbran Life. The 48-year-old journalist has been spinning up April Fools' Day hoaxes over the years that range from the hilarious to the totally absurd.

In 2020, he made up a story about Cwmbran setting a Guinness World Record for having the most roundabouts per square km, which took on a life of its own. A day after it went live, he had to update the article to clarify that it was an April Fools' joke. However, that didn't stop ...