Testing suggests that Google's AI Overviews have a 90% accuracy rate

But is a 90% accuracy rate good enough for a search robot?
Text: Markus Hirsilä
Published 2026-04-09

Nowadays, when you write something on Google, it means confronting AI Overviews, the Gemini-powered search robot that appears at the top of the results page. As it is with everything new, the start was rough, but in time it's getting better and usually provides the right answer.

As reported by Ars Technica, a new analysis from The New York Times suggests that the accuracy of AI Overviews is 90%. This means that 10% of AI answers is wrong, and for Google, that means hundreds of thousands of lies going out every minute of the day.

The report includes several examples of where AI Overviews went wrong, among these being the date on which Bob Marley's former home became a museum, and the date on which Yo Yo Ma was inducted into the classical music hall of fame.

Google spokesperson Ned Adriance told The New York Times, that "this study has serious holes. It doesn't reflect what people are actually searching on Google".

So what should we think about this? It's just like Google itself reminds you at the bottom of every overview: "AI can make mistakes, so double-check responses".

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