- Google Search briefly showed false news of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's death on August 13
- The error originated from a vandalized Wikipedia page falsely stating Altman died August 12
- Screenshots of the misinformation spread on social media, raising concerns about search accuracy
Google Search briefly displayed that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman had died after someone vandalised his Wikipedia page with false information. The error appeared on Wednesday, August 13, when Altman's Google information panel reportedly showed that he had died on August 12. The claim was false, and there were no credible reports confirming the 41-year-old executive's death. Screenshots of the incorrect result spread across X and Reddit, raising questions about how the misinformation had appeared on Google Search. The glitch also sparked panic, memes, and talks about search reliability.
The issue was later traced to a vandalised Wikipedia entry after someone had edited Altman's page to falsely state that he had died. The changes were later reverted, but Google's automated systems appeared to have picked up the altered information.
Google acknowledged the error after users brought it to the company's attention, explaining that changes made to public information sources can sometimes affect what appears in Search. The company clarified that the false information was not manually added by Google and later confirmed that it had been removed.
"Thanks for flagging - this is no longer appearing, and was not a manual change by Google. When people vandalize public info sources, this can affect the information that appears in Search," Google explained.
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The Wikimedia Foundation also confirmed that Altman's page had been vandalised. Wikipedia editors quickly reverted the changes, added vandalism warnings, and placed the page under semi-protection to limit further edits.
Google later confirmed that the incorrect information was no longer appearing in Search results.
