Google AI Misled by April Fools’ Day Prank: Lessons in Fake News

TL;DR

• Google AI mistook an April Fools’ joke about Cwmbran’s roundabouts as real news.
• The incident highlights the potential for fake news to spread even from trusted sources.
• Google AI Overviews has faced scrutiny for generating false information in the past.

Google AI Misled by April Fools’ Day Prank: Lessons in Fake News

In the small Welsh town of Cwmbran, a population of just under 50,000 people, an unusual claim recently surfaced. According to Google AI Overviews, Cwmbran holds the Guinness World Record for the most roundabouts—a feat that, in reality, does not exist.

Since 2018, Ben Black has been publishing lighthearted fake stories on April Fools’ Day for his community news site, Cwmbran Life. These playful articles have included tales of a Hollywood-style sign on a mountain and the creation of a nudist cold-water swimming club at a lake. In 2020, Black published a story claiming that Cwmbran had been recognized by Guinness World Records for having the highest number of roundabouts per square kilometer¹.

Black fabricated a random number of roundabouts, added a quote from a fictitious resident, and clearly stated that the “news” was an April Fool’s Day joke several hours later. However, it came as a surprise when Google AI Overviews picked up this story as real news recently².

The Challenge of April Fools’ Day

April Fools’ Day is unique in the online world. Normal news outlets publish deliberately fake news stories, and people with knowledge of the tradition can assess the truthfulness of these stories. However, it appears that Google AI did not account for this tradition.

As Black noted:

“It’s not a dangerous story, but it shows how fake news can easily spread even if it’s from a trusted news source.”

Google AI Overviews Under Scrutiny

Google AI Overviews has been under scrutiny since its testing phase last year. The system has generated false information, including advising people on the minimum required pebbles to eat in a day or using gasoline to cook spaghetti faster³.

Due to his recent experience with Google and a busy schedule, Black decided not to publish an April Fools’ prank this year. Similarly, as a cybersecurity company committed to trustworthiness, Malwarebytes opted out of April Fools’ Day pranks this year⁴.

Conclusion

The incident with Google AI Overviews serves as a reminder of the challenges in distinguishing fact from fiction, even for advanced AI systems. As fake news continues to be a pressing issue, it is crucial for both individuals and AI to develop better discernment skills. Moving forward, enhancing the capabilities of AI to recognize contextual nuances, such as those associated with April Fools’ Day, will be essential in maintaining the integrity of information.

Additional Resources

For further insights, check:

1. (April 2025). “fake story claiming Cwmbran had been recognised by Guinness World Records for having the most roundabouts per square kilometer”. BBC. Retrieved April 2025. ↩︎

2. (April 2025). “Google AI Overviews picked up this story as real news recently”. BBC. Retrieved April 2025. ↩︎

3. (April 2025). “Google AI Overviews Under Scrutiny”. silicon. Retrieved April 2025. ↩︎

4. (April 2025). “Malwarebytes opted out of April Fools’ Day”. Malwarebytes. Retrieved April 2025. ↩︎