The family behind Stefanina’s, an independent pizzeria in Wentzville, Missouri, recently got embroiled in a battle with an enemy no mere humans can truly defeat: a popular AI tool gone temporarily rogue.
As a St. Louis TV station recently reported, Google AI touted at least two value deals at Stefanina’s earlier this month—deals that were not, in fact, being offered.
Eva Gannon, the manager of Stefanina’s and a member of the family that has owned it for 25 years, was shocked when she began receiving calls and requests for the specials, especially after some customers grew angry when she didn’t honor them. “We’re, like, what are you talking about?” she told First Alert 4.
AI experts often use the term “hallucination” to describe false information provided by systems like Google AI and ChatGPT. The tools are far from error-proof at this stage in the technology’s evolution. But try explaining that to deal-hungry customers who think AI is smarter than it really is.
For example, Google AI “hallucinated” a deal in which Stefanina’s customers could pay the regular price for a small pizza and get a second pie for $4. “We’ve never offered that special,” Gannon said. “It also tells you we offer a large for the price of a small pizza. That’s not true.”
Additionally, some menu items listed by Google AI were reportedly incorrect.
Stefanina’s alerted customers to the problem in an August 12 post on Facebook.
“Please do not use Google AI to find out our specials,” the restaurant owners stated. “Please go on our Facebook page or our website. Google AI is not accurate and is telling people specials that do not exist, which is causing angry customers yelling at our employees. We cannot control what Google posts or says, and we will not honor the Google AI specials.”
That post earned 409 reactions and 106 comments, with Stefanina’s followers showing their support and appreciation for the long-standing restaurant.
If nothing else, Google AI’s error led to some publicity for Stefanina’s, although not exactly the “free” kind, considering the hassles the restaurant’s employees had to contend with. On the upside, the First Alert 4 report gave Gannon an opportunity to explain the situation and to show off Stefanina’s food and staff.
Regardless, Gannon told the reporter, “It’s coming back on us. We can’t, as a small family business, honor a Google AI special.”
Vice also reported the story on August 25, noting, “If your human personal assistant were prone to random hallucinations, you would fire them. But an AI chatbot that people very quickly became obsessed with and reliant upon—that’s fine. Let it lie as much as it wants because it’s a precious baby that can do no wrong…until it so egregiously fabricates information that [it] starts ruining your small business.”
In the future, Gannon said she hopes customers will be more discerning in their searches for special offers. “Just come to us for any information regarding us,” she said. “And, really, when it comes to any other company.”
