Newsroom
In a bizarre twist on Wednesday, Bing search results left some users questioning reality as the search engine boldly declared, "No," in response to queries about Australia's existence.
Tech reporter Stilgherrian raised the alarm on Bluesky, noting Bing's apparent denial of the entire country.
Responses varied from skepticism to humor, with one user pondering the evasion of bill payments. Attempts to replicate the result yielded mixed outcomes, with Bing Chat even contradicting the regular search.
Microsoft's AI searches, however, confirmed Australia's reality.
Bing's co-pilot clarified on Thursday, asserting, "Yes, Australia is a real country," countering conspiracy theories that it was a British government invention.
Microsoft promptly addressed the issue, acknowledging the fix.
Guardian Australia delved into the phenomenon, tracing it back to a 2017 Reddit origin. Despite a 2018 Guardian article, the conspiracy resurfaced, claiming Australia as "one of the biggest hoaxes ever created."
The roots of this wild theory supposedly reach back to 2006, with a Flat Earth Society forum post questioning Australia's existence.
[With information sourced from The Guardian]
