Google’s AI Super Bowl ad is wrong about cheese

Google just debuted a series of Super Bowl ads showing how small businesses use Gemini AI across all 50 states, but the cheese lovers out there might notice something a little off about its Wisconsin one. As spotted by @natejhake on X, the ad shows Gemini AI generating text that says Gouda accounts for “50 to 60 percent of the world’s cheese consumption” — a stat that isn’t quite accurate.

The cheese is undoubtedly popular in Europe, but the same can’t be said for the rest of the world. “While Gouda is likely the most common single variety in world trade, it is almost assuredly not the most widely consumed,” Andrew Novakovic, E.V. Baker Professor of Agricultural Economics Emeritus at Cornell University, tells The Verge.

”I don’t think there is hard data to substantiate consumption of particular varieties of cheeses on a global scale,” Novakovic adds. “My guess is that Indian Paneer or the ubiquitous ‘fresh’ cheeses of South America, Africa, and western and southern Asia have far larger volumes than Gouda.”

As shown in the commercial, the fine print beneath Gemini’s response reads, “This is a creative writing aid, and is not intended to be factual.” But you’d think it would at least have a source to back it up, especially when the ad depicts a business owner using Gemini to fill out descriptions for their website.

Last month, Google started building all its AI features into Workspace and also raised the price of its subscription. The company didn’t immediately respond to The Verge’s request for comment.