2
Independent test finds current AI models unreliable at identifying dangerous mushrooms
The Register reported on September 2, 2026 on an independent test by Piotr Migdal running 1,040 mushroom photos across 16 models. Gemini 3.8 Flash scored best (65% correct on first guess, 85% within its top five), while Qwen3.8-27b scored worst (13% first-guess, and misidentified poisonous mushrooms as edible 36% of the time). Meta's Muse Spark 1.2 had the lowest false-positive rate (8%) largely because it declined to guess in ambiguous cases.
2026-09-02 Safety / alignment Benchmark result AI-assisted mushroom hunting is a recipe for a bad trip