Over the years we have seen the all-knowing Google makes several strange gaffes. Thousands may turn to the search engine daily with any query they have, but sometimes the answers can be far more confusing. In the past, we have written about how Google ‘thought’ PM Modi was the 11th Avatar of Vishnu and suggested that Allahu Akbar was the ‘scariest word’.
Now, it would seem that Google is suggesting that Afghan cricketer Rashid Khan is married to Anushka Sharma. When one searches “Rashid Khan wife” the instant featured and highlighted response is ‘Anushka Sharma’. This search result, however, has been modified several times today, even as the answer remains consistent.
While it had initially provided a short profile of the cricketer while making the incorrect claim about his marital status, it then proceeded to quote a fake website report about the same. Now, while the answer remains the same, Google is quoting a news report about its gaffe.
In case you’re not convinced, allow us to reiterate that this claim is false. Anushka Sharma is married to Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli and has been since 2017. Rashid Khan who plays for the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the ongoing IPL series is not married.
Why does this occur?
Google relies on automated systems to determine whether a page or in this case, name, would be a good snippet to highlight. In this case, the featured snippet came from a website that falsely claimed that Khan was married to Sharma.
The search engine may also have been swayed by many reports that had been published earlier this year following an interview that saw Khan name Anushka Sharma and Preity Zinta as his favourite Bollywood actresses. And when a lot of websites and pages put their names in conjunction, this appears to have confused the algorithm with the rather startling results.
Source: India Today
