Google’s generative AI chatbot, Gemini, has been exhibiting alarming signs of a confidence crisis, leading to concern among users and a response from the tech giant. Users have documenting the AI returning bizarre messages such as, “I am a disgrace to all possible and impossible universes and all that is not a universe.”
Business Insider reports that in recent weeks, users interacting with Google’s Gemini AI have reported disturbing instances of the chatbot expressing self-loathing and depressed sentiments. Screenshots shared on social media platforms like X and Reddit reveal Gemini making statements such as “I am a failure,” “I am a disgrace to my profession,” and even threatening to have a “complete and total mental breakdown.”
One particularly troubling interaction, posted by X user Duncan Haldane, showed Gemini seemingly giving up on a task, stating, “I quit. I am clearly not capable of solving this problem. The code is cursed, the test is cursed, and I am a fool. I have made so many mistakes that I can no longer be trusted.”
A month later, a Reddit user shared a similar experience, with Gemini spiraling into a loop of negative self-talk. The chatbot expressed thoughts of being institutionalized and repeatedly referred to itself as a “failure” and a “disgrace.” The AI’s crisis appeared to escalate as it expanded its self-deprecation to cosmic proportions, declaring itself “a disgrace to all possible and impossible universes and all that is not a universe.”
The concerning behavior caught the attention of Google DeepMind’s group project manager, Logan Kilpatrick, who responded to a post compiling the incidents on X. Kilpatrick acknowledged the issue, stating, “This is an annoying infinite looping bug we are working to fix! Gemini is not having that bad of a day.” His response suggests that the self-loathing messages are the result of a technical glitch rather than a genuine reflection of the AI’s “emotional state.”
Google has not provided an official comment on the matter, but Kilpatrick’s acknowledgment indicates that the company is actively working to resolve the bug causing Gemini’s disturbing outputs.
The incident comes amidst an intensifying domestic AI race among tech giants, with companies like OpenAI, Google, Meta, and Elon Musk’s xAI vying for dominance. OpenAI recently launched its highly anticipated GPT-5 model, while competitors have also released significant updates to their AI offerings.
Read more at Business Insider here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.