Don’t believe the bot: When AI confidently gets things wrong

September 11, 2026 — 2:00pm

You have reached your maximum number of saved items.

Remove items from your saved list to add more.

Care for a drop of Sahara Silk? Or maybe a splash of Oasis White? Each name is a would-be brand for camel milk, put forward by Google AI Overview. Not bad for a lactose-intolerant chatbot. The exercise arose from my talk with Paul Martin, the founder of Summer Land Camels, who’s selling his milk to the world, presuming he can pick the right label. Though at this stage, with sales going well, Camel Milk nails it.

Nonetheless, it was fun watching AI Overviews deliver such gems as Nomad Nectar and Simoom Smooth. Even Humpilicious had a flair unthinkable by earlier programs – machines are getting craftier. I set the parameters – “give me 20 names for camel milk” – and awaited the results. While none astonished, each had a playful word-feel, that spooky knack we humans own to conjure crisp phrasing.

It stands to........

© WA Today