AI Duped by Fictional Disease

A fictional disease called 'bixonimania' was created by scientists in 2024 and subsequently treated as real by large language models like ChatGPT and Google Gemini. This incident, along with a 'Traitors-themed science event' at the Cambridge Festival, highlights the pervasive issue of misinformation, human biases, and the increasing reliance on digital tools. The event demonstrated how signals like accent, gender, ethnicity, and presentation style can influence perceptions of credibility, often leading to incorrect conclusions. The articles emphasize the urgent need for better critical thinking skills, especially in light of governmental pushes like the United Kingdom's focus on STEM education over humanities.