Browse > Home / AI, Google, News / Gemini, Listen Up

Gemini, Listen Up

January 20, 2026

green-dino_thumbAnother dinobaby post. No AI unless it is an image. This dinobaby is not Grandma Moses, just Grandpa Arnold.

We were testing Google Gemini last week. We learned several things:

  1. Gemini does not follow instructions even if these are input into the “rules” form
  2. Gemini refuses to stay on track. The system attempts to hijack the line of questioning by inserting “Would you like…” suggestions
  3. Gemini pushes YouTube videos into results, ignoring a user’s request for text only responses.

As if these were not sufficiently annoying amidst the incorrect responses and the smarmy tone adopted when informed that a professional, objective response is requested.

image

This is Venice.ai’s interpretation of my using Google Gemini and getting giant, stupid links to AI infected YouTube videos. Hey, thanks, Gemini. Good enough Venice.ai.

Nope, the big news is that Gemini is about as good as ChatGPT and Perplexity on our test prompts and queries.

Where it fails is a window into Google’s approach. I characterize this services of the entitled to the less adept method.

Here’s one example. “YouTube Views Less Effective Than Audio Downloads in Driving Purchases, According to Study” states:

YouTube views are 18-25% less effective than audio downloads at driving purchases and may not be interchangeable despite common industry belief and practice…. It suggests there may be a loss of up to $250k in conversion value for every $1m spent on YouTube podcast impressions.

Do I believe these studies by outfits which are essentially unknown to me? Answer: Absolutely. I believe everything I read on the Internet.

But let’s assume that the data reported are close enough for horse shoes. Google certainly has data that supports its decision to shove YouTube videos into Gemini outputs. Furthermore, some Google wizard instructed Gemini to include YouTube videos whenever possible into Gemini. Plus, those videos consume a significant segment of the output. Finally, when copying a Gemini answer the YouTube “links” screw up basic document formatting in Word and LibreOffice. Some documents are unusable after pasting a YouTube output from Gemini into a Word file.

Several observations:

  1. Google is definitely into providing links to YouTube videos which are increasingly generated by AI or manipulated by AI with the notice that AI produced the videos missing or at the tail end of the “More” text
  2. Gemini is configured to present video in a text response. What about podcast links? Why not a link to the transcript of the video instead of creating an annoyance?
  3. Gemini, like Microsoft, is trying to make smart software work better than Boolean search in my opinion. Guess what? It is not as effective for queries requiring a fast, precise answer. Why spend billions and make me wait for a simple look up.
  4. Google Advanced Search is still available, but it presents AI slop. At least Yandex.com tries to provide something relevant and Alice thankfully is not pushing her way into a query.

Net net: Google’s management of its technical resources is poor. Both Google and Microsoft are taking steps to increase user frustration. Gemini, to its credit, knows when I am angry. That doesn’t matter. I am a dinobaby, and I like to do work the old fashioned way. Okay, Google, why not automatically play podcast snippets in the Gemini output. That would be really cool, right, whiz kids?

Stephen E Arnold, January 20, 2026

Written by Stephen E. Arnold · Filed Under AI, Google, News 

Comments

One Response to “Gemini, Listen Up”

  1. Gemini ?? - AI ?? on January 20th, 2026 7:43 am

    […] https://www.arnoldit.com/wordpress/2026/01/20/gemini-listen-up/ […]

Got something to say?





  • Archives

  • Recent Posts

  • Meta