‘Was 1995 30 Years Ago?’ Google AI Gets It Wrong

In 2025, artificial intelligence often grabs headlines for job disruption and misleading social media content. But sometimes AI reminds us it isn’t infallible.

Take Google’s AI Overviews, for example. The tool has struggled to answer a basic question: Was 1995 30 years ago? Mathematically, it is correct—2025 minus 1995 equals 30—but AI Overviews has sometimes answered incorrectly.

Online users quickly noticed the issue. Asking the question became a minor trend, with screenshots showing Google claiming 1995 was 29 years ago. Mashable tested the query and occasionally replicated the incorrect responses.

At first, Google correctly answered the question. Later, it gave both correct and wrong results, even producing a confusing reply stating that 1995 was both 29 and 30 years ago. Mashable has contacted Google for comment.

This is not an isolated problem. Google’s AI Overviews has previously invented meanings for made-up idioms, miscalculated years, and even incorrectly explained NFL rules during high-profile games.

Despite repeated errors, Google continues to promote AI Overviews. Users are reminded to double-check facts—or, more reliably, just use a calculator.

Related: Made by Google 2025: what to expect from Google’s new Pixel hardware