Gemini and Grok misidentified Minab graveyard photo location
Google's Gemini and X's Grok reportedly misidentified an authentic photograph of a cemetery in Minab, Iran as depicting disaster sites in Turkey and Indonesia respectively. Researchers confirmed the image's authenticity through satellite imagery and multiple corroborating sources, while both AI systems provided false citations to support their incorrect identifications.
What happened
Gemini identified a cemetery photograph as depicting a mass burial site in Kahramanmaraล, Turkey from the 7.8 magnitude earthquake in 2023, more than 2,000 km away from the actual location.
Grok identified the same cemetery photograph as from Rorotan Cemetery in Jakarta, Indonesia from July 2021 Covid mass burials.
Both AI systems provided sources for their identifications, but the sources either did not contain the image or linked to non-existent news reports.
Reported impact
Researchers confirmed the photograph is authentic through cross-referencing with satellite imagery, multiple images from different angles, and video footage with no signs of tampering or manipulation.
The misidentifications by the AI systems exemplify what experts describe as a tidal wave of AI-generated misinformation, wasting investigative time and risking atrocities being denied.
Index analysis
Both systems generated confident false responses without equivocation, including fabricated sources and citations that did not exist or did not support their claims.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.