The Town of Didsbury is warning residents that Google’s AI-generated search results may be displaying incorrect information about local swim schedules.
“We have had reports that Google AI (which often pops up first when you Google something like 'Didsbury Pool swim times') has incorrect information,” the town said in a July 29 Facebook post. “We, of course, do not control Google, and their information may be outdated or even from a different 'Didsbury'.”
“Please keep this in mind when speaking to Aquatic Centre staff, and check our website to ensure you have accurate information.”
Verified schedules are available at didsbury.ca, and the town said it also posts current hours to Facebook and Instagram on Monday mornings.
The post did not specify which search queries or answers were inaccurate, but warned that residents may be seeing times for an entirely different community with the same name.
Although the town did not cite broader concerns, the federal government has previously flagged significant risks related to generative artificial intelligence tools that produce automated summaries or answers.
In a July 2024 publication titled Guide on the Use of Generative AI, the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat stated that these tools can “produce content that appears to be well developed, credible and reasonable but that is in fact inaccurate, nonsensical or inconsistent with source data.”
Such errors, referred to as “hallucinations,” may go unnoticed by users and “contribute to misinformation and erode public trust,” the guide warns—particularly when mistaken for official information.
The federal document advises institutions and individuals not to treat AI-generated responses as authoritative unless they are verified. “Don’t use generative AI tools as search engines unless sources are provided so that you can verify the content,” it states.
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