Don’t blindly trust what AI tells you, Google boss tells BBC

The boss of Google parent company Alphabet has told the BBC that people should not “blindly trust” everything AI tools tell them.

In an exclusive interview, CEO Sundar Pichai said AI models are “error-prone” and urged people to use them in conjunction with other tools.

Mr. Pichai said he emphasized the importance of having a rich information ecosystem rather than relying solely on AI technology.

“That’s why people also use Google search, and we have other products that are more grounded in providing accurate information.”

While AI tools are useful “if you want to write something creatively,” Mr. Pichai said people “need to learn to use these tools for what they are good at and not blindly trust everything they say.”

“We’re proud of the amount of work we’ve put in to give us as accurate information as possible, but the most advanced AI technology available is prone to some errors,” he told the BBC.

The tech world is awaiting the latest launch of Gemini 3.0, Google’s consumer AI model that has begun regaining market share from ChatGPT.

Starting in May this year, Google began adding a new “AI Mode” to its search engine, integrating the Gemini chatbot. aims to give users the experience of talking to an expert.

At the time, Mr. Pichai said Gemini’s integration with search marked “a new phase in the AI ​​platform shift.”

The move is also part of the tech giant’s goal to remain competitive against artificial intelligence services such as ChatGPT, which threaten Google’s online search dominance.

His comments support BBC research from earlier this year which found AI chatbots were summarizing news incorrectly.

OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Microsoft’s Copilot, Google’s Gemini and Perplexity AI were all given context and questions from the BBC website, and research found AI’s answers contained “significant inaccuracies”“.

In an interview with the BBC, Mr Pichai said there was some tension between how quickly technology was developed and how mitigating measures were implemented to prevent potential harmful effects.

For Alphabet, Mr. Pichai said managing tensions meant being “bold and responsible at the same time.”

“So we’re moving quickly right now. I think our consumers are demanding it,” he said.

Mr. Pichai added that the technology giant has also increased its investment in AI security in proportion to its investment in AI.

“For example, we are an open source technology that allows you to detect whether an image has been created by AI,” he said.

Asked about recently revealed comments from tech billionaire Elon Musk to OpenAI’s founders about fears that DeepMind, now owned by Google, could create an AI “dictatorship”, Mr Pichai said “no company should have a technology as powerful as AI”.

However, he added that there are many companies in the artificial intelligence ecosystem today.

“If there was just one company developing AI technology and everyone had to use it, I’d be worried about that too, but we’re a long way from that scenario right now,” he said.