At this point, it is clear that any insights from Google’s AI Overview should be treated with skepticism, particularly when it incorrectly identifies actual video games as non-existent. A notable instance is “Call of Duty: Black Ops 7.”

For several months, a Google search of “Black Ops 7” has yielded a peculiar reply from the Gemini-powered AI Overview, which mistakenly asserts that the game is non-existent. The AI claims, “Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is a fictional video game that does not exist,” and goes on to characterize it as a theoretical game with a release date of November 14, 2025, situated in 2035, continuing the story from “Black Ops 2” and “Black Ops,” and including a co-op campaign, multiplayer, and a Zombies mode.

What adds to the peculiarity is that the AI’s information—from the release date to the 2035 setting and the available modes—is indeed accurate. Nevertheless, it still categorizes the game as “fictional.” “Black Ops 7” is the 22nd primary installment in the “Call of Duty” franchise and the eighth in the “Black Ops” series. It currently has a 1.8 user rating on Metacritic, with gamers voicing frustration over a disappointing single-player campaign and the extensive application of generative AI for key assets.

This matter was first observed approximately three months ago by a Reddit user on the r/google subreddit. As of November 13, the day preceding the game’s release, the issue could still be reproduced several times, and it continues to exist as of now. Curiously, the glitch appears to be limited to mobile devices and AI Overviews; Google’s AI mode accurately recognizes “Black Ops 7” as real. Mashable reached out to Google and Activision-Blizzard for comment but has not yet received a reply.

The predicament with AI Overviews illustrates a larger problem: Big Tech’s AI systems are struggling to keep pace with real-time information, particularly regarding breaking news or newly released media.

AI Overviews does not struggle to recognize the release and existence of other games launched around the same time as “Black Ops 7.” For example, it correctly states that “Yakuza Kiwami 2” has gotten a Switch 2 release this month. However, it mismanages “Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero” by initially referring to it as a mobile game, then rectifying itself, and failing to note its recent release on Switch and Switch 2.

As previously reported by Mashable’s Chase DiBenedetto, “While AI assistants might assist with simple daily tasks… their shortcomings in reporting news is a liability for everyone, as noted by watchdogs and media executives alike.” This glitch, although related to a video game, highlights a broader concern.

AI chatbots have already shown their capacity to disseminate or reinforce misinformation in more serious contexts, such as Grok’s viral assertion that the Charlie Kirk shooting was fabricated. As more individuals depend on AI tools as on-demand fact-checkers, especially during tumultuous events, these inaccuracies could present a substantial risk.