Brooklyn woman was confused when asked about growing up in Mexico and coding in Guadalajara — until she found Google AI had built a whole backstory

It's no secret that people are leaning toward Artificial Intelligence for all sorts of tasks, and using it for quick background research has quietly become the new standard. However, it might just be spiraling out of hand even more so after Alberta Tech (@alberta.tech) was suddenly grilled by a podcast host about her childhood in Guadalajara, Mexico. The only problem was that the Brooklyn native never grew up in Mexico. So, she ran a quick background search on herself, only to find out the shocking truth behind the host's question. She then took to Instagram on September 7, 2026 to reveal it to the world, garnering over 830,000 views. 

Being caught off guard

The confusion began when Tech sat down for a podcast, fully prepared to discuss technology. Instead, she was caught off guard when the conversation turned to her childhood. The host asked her about how she felt growing up in Guadalajara, Mexico. Stunned, she clarified to them that she was born and raised in Brooklyn. She later admitted that previously people had mistaken her for being from Ohio, but this was new. Nonetheless, she shrugged it off as a preparation mistake.

The Guadalajara pattern re-emerges

Any assumption of an isolated mistake vanished days later when Tech attended an industry gathering. While mingling, an acquaintance casually asked her about her experiences in Guadalajara. "I have never been to Guadalajara," she recalled thinking as the repeated incident set off alarm bells. Realizing that two completely distinct people had pulled the same obscure biographical claim within a matter of days, she knew AI had something to do with it. However, at this point, she couldn't figure out how.

The self-citing loop

So, she did a little background check on herself after getting home, only to instantly recognize the issue. Tech said she discovered that the false Guadalajara detail had been repeated across multiple online pages, which then appeared to reinforce the incorrect information showing up in AI-generated search results, causing this confusion. "It's not only hallucinating that I'm from Guadalajara. It's confidently citing the source that says so," she noted. 

No option but to embrace it

Faced with a web of repeated false information online, Tech laughingly said she has given up instead of fighting. "So, at this point, I have given up, Viva Mexico," she joked. That said, this incident shows people's growing trust in these summaries, even though they may be presenting a pretense. In fact, according to a Pew Research survey, 60% of U.S. adults say they read AI-generated summaries at the top of search results, while 30% say they do not. At the same time, 40% believe AI will negatively impact society over the next 20 years.

Mexican life chose her

As for the people, they took this incident as a lighthearted one, at least for now. @leothelionator wrote, "You did not choose the Mexican life. The Mexican life chose you." In contrast, @wilk_w_sosie_bbq pointed out, "That's why I laugh at people at uni telling me they use AI for 'research' and that I should do it too, cause 'it saves so much time' xd."

Follow Alberta Tech (@alberta.tech) for more technology and AI hot takes. 

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