Google lied to me

You know that feeling when you're absolutely sure you're right - and then you're not?

A friend of mine has been a systems administrator for thirty years- he helps build and maintain the backbone of the internet. Last week he spent 45 minutes troubleshooting a server connection that should have worked.

The problem? He asked Google "what is my IP address" - the same question he's typed for a decade. Except this time, Google Gemini answered instead of Google Search.

And Gemini gave him someone else's answer. Cached from Colorado. Completely confident. Completely wrong. His server was perfectly configured to let a stranger connect. Just not him.

AI doesn't tell you when it's guessing. It doesn't flag when the answer is stale, or borrowed, or meant for someone else. It just answers.

Something to keep in mind as we all lean into these tools more this year.

Here's to a year of asking better questions - and checking the answers.

Happy new year.