The AI models can be hilariously bad even on their own terms.

Yesterday I asked Gemini for a population figure (because I was too lazy to look it up myself). First I asked it:

what is the combined population of place 1, place 2 and place 3

It answered:

Unfortunately, providing an absolutely precise, up-to-the-minute combined population figure is difficult. Population numbers are constantly changing.

To find these figures, I would recommend checking the Office for National Statistics (ONS) website. They provide detailed population statistics for local authorities in England.

On a whim, I asked it again as:

combined population of place 1, place 2 and place 3

And then it gave me the answer sweet as a nut.

Apparently I was being too polite with it, I guess?