• Source:JND
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Google’s AI search tool recently drew widespread attention after promoting an outlandish and completely false overview of Jeff Bezos’ mother’s funeral. A small, private funeral service was held Friday at the Caballero Rivero Westchester funeral home in West Miami to honour Jacklyn Gise Bezos, mother of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. The 78-year-old passed away on August 14 after a prolonged battle with Lewy body dementia, according to an announcement from her son.

Photos capture Jeff Bezos, 61, and his wife, Lauren Sanchez, 55, arriving hand in hand at a small, intimate ceremony. Other members of the family, including his brother Mark and stepfather Mike, were present to offer them support. Reports are that the service had fewer than 50 people in attendance, which reflects the family's desire for a private and personal goodbye. Both Bezos and Sanchez wore black, which was appropriate for the sombre mood of the day.

False Celebrity Reports Spark Online Confusion

Despite the low-profile gathering, false reports about the funeral quickly circulated online. Google’s AI-generated search overviews listed sensational but inaccurate details, claiming that celebrities like Elon Musk and rapper Eminem attended the service and that Eminem performed his 2005 hit “Mockingbird.” These claims were entirely fabricated and appeared days before the actual ceremony.

Investigations by media outlets revealed that some of the misinformation originated from sites with misleading names, such as 'BBCmovie.cc,' which mimics the respected British Broadcasting Corporation, and 'av.colofandom.com,' a site known for viral stories and NBA-related content. The latter posted an extensive, dramatic narrative about Eminem’s supposed appearance and performance, which had no basis in reality.

Google Updates AI Information

Within the weekend after the funeral, Google's AI summary had been revised to reflect the event in exact terms: "Jackie Bezos's funeral was conducted at the Caballero Rivero Westchester funeral home in Miami, Florida, a private ceremony with her family and close friends, including Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez." The revision established the timeline and the attendees as correct, dispelling the prior lies spread online.

Jacklyn Bezos, who invested close to USD 250,000 in her son's young Amazon in 1995, was a key figure in the success of the company during its formative years. She wed Miguel Bezos in 1968, and together they brought up Jeff and his siblings, Christina and Mark. 

Google justified its AI-created summaries, stating to the Daily Mail that "the vast majority of AI Overviews are high quality and meet our high bar for helpfulness and accuracy." This event portrays the pitfalls of AI-based information, such as the possibility of "hallucinations" or made-up information that can propagate widely before verification. The Bezos family's private goodbye eventually went ahead as planned, a private moment of grieving for Jacklyn Bezos in the midst of a flood of online misinformation.