Google AI errors persist

The AI-generated summary appeared when searching for personal information about Ray, who serves as Vice President of SEO Strategy & Research at Amsive. The system misinterpreted information from Ray's website about her dog Marcy, who was born in 2015, attributing these details to Ray herself.

Ray posted on X on April 21, 2025 at 2:20 AM: "The 'she' on this page of my website refers to my dog, not me." The post garnered over 5,000 views and sparked discussion among SEO professionals about the AI's accuracy issues.

This incident reflects broader challenges with Google's AI Overview feature that emerged in 2024 when the system provided erroneous advice like recommending eating glue and rocks. X's AI Grok says: "The AI Overview misstep reflects broader issues with Google's AI search features, as seen in 2024 when AI Overviews gave erroneous advice like eating glue and rocks, sparking online backlash and highlighting Google's struggle to balance speed and accuracy in AI deployment."

The error gained additional attention when users discovered the AI system also failed to find Marcy the dog's age, despite it being explicitly stated on the webpage. The confusion led to jocular references to "dog years" in the replies, with commenters pointing out that if Ray were truly 9 years old in 2025 while being born in 2015, she would actually be 10.

SEO consultant Gagan Ghotra investigated the issue further, finding that the AI's response varied depending on query phrasing. According to Ghotra, when searching specifically for "how old is lily ray," the system initially provided different answers with "completely different sources."

Anthony Higman commented on the inconsistency: "BWHAHAHAHA Good ole Ai giving EVERYONE a completely different answer with completely different sources!!! Oh what a wonderful disinformational future we can look forward to!!! LOL"

Ray's professional profile stands in stark contrast to the AI's error. She leads a 35+ person SEO team at Amsive, previously served as Senior Director of SEO & Head of Organic Research, and was named the #1 most influential SEO expert in 2022 by USA Today. Her LinkedIn profile shows over 500 connections and 37,522 followers, documenting a career spanning from 2002 to present.

Ray has built a reputation for analyzing Google algorithm updates and researching E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) - principles that ironically failed in Google's own AI system in this instance.

The incident highlights ongoing concerns about the reliability of AI-generated content in search results. As these systems become more prevalent, the need for accurate information retrieval becomes increasingly critical for maintaining user trust.

Google has not issued public comments on this specific error or provided details about how their system misinterpreted the source material.

Timeline Summary

April 21, 2025:

• 2:20 AM: Lily Ray posts on X about Google's AI Overview error claiming she is 9 years old
• Morning: Other SEO professionals investigate and find varying AI responses
• 3:14 PM: Gagan Ghotra reports the error has been updated following Ray's post