Comment by CamelCaseCondo

Same experience here. I have fond memories of “google code”, a search engine for code databases which was exceptionally good for finding literal quotes.

The more mainstream a subject is, the lower the incidence of hallucinations. With google search, the mantra “I can’t be the first with this problem/question” almost always proves to be right.

I’m in the process of restoring a piece of vintage electronics and everytime I ask gemini (fast or thinking) for help I’m getting sent down an irrelevant rabbit hole. It’s taking info from service manuals of other equipment with a similar product number, misinterpreting diagrams, getting electrical workings wrong.

These things aren’t AI. AI can extract certainty from uncertain data. LLMs take data and turn it into garbage.