“Against a long history of overclaiming in AI, such strong statements demand an awful lot of evidence. Because Google won’t allow skeptics to try the system, we can only make guesses. But from the few clues that have filtered out, there is enormous reason for skepticism.”
Our reading, the sentence that was checked:
From the few clues that have filtered out, there is enormous reason to be skeptical of Google's claim that Imagen has a deep level of language understanding, though without access to the system skeptics can only make guesses.
Assessment: Can’t be checked Not checked against evidence
Where and when Gary Marcus wrote it
Marcus on AI, Horse rides astronaut, paragraph 31.
- Said
- Source observed
- live page, full text, public
- Evidence
- Not checkedboth screens found it cannot be checked
- Assessment recorded
- assessment marcus-horse-rides-astronaut-1e0fda-a1
We recorded 10 claims from this post. See every claim from this post.
The wording above is the version this site observed on 2026-10-29. The source may have been edited after 2022-05-28. This page does not claim the wording was captured then.
What the claim commits to
- Kind
- Recommendation or value judgment
- Deadline, as the speaker wrote it
- None stated. This site does not add one.
- Deadline state when assessed
- No horizon
- Deadline state on 2026-10-29
- No horizon (the release’s reference date)
Conditions
- from the few clues that have filtered out (qualifier, stated by the speaker)
- Google won't allow skeptics to try the system, so we can only make guesses (qualifier, stated by the speaker)
From the speaker
- from the few clues that have filtered out
- Google won't allow skeptics to try the system, so we can only make guesses
Our interpretation
None added.
This claim is not graded on evidence. The record checks that the words are quoted correctly and attributed to the right person, and that the claim is classified correctly.
Current assessment
Not graded on evidence
Outcome: Can’t be checked
Both AI providers screened this claim on their own and found that public evidence could not settle it. It is recorded and attributed, not scored.
Why it can’t be checked
Both screens gave the same reason:
- A recommendation or a value judgment.
- Evidence
- Not checked
- Deadline state when assessed
- No horizon
- Assessment recorded
- Policy version
- 2026-10-28.7
Rationale
Not checked against evidence. Two independent screens, one from each provider, both found this a recommendation or a value judgment.
Limitations
None recorded.
Evidence (0 items)
No evidence was searched for. Both screens found that public evidence could not settle this claim.
Where it was said (1)
Said once in the sources this register covers.
: Marcus on AI, Horse rides astronaut
Against a long history of overclaiming in AI, such strong statements demand an awful lot of evidence. Because Google won’t allow skeptics to try the system, we can only make guesses. But from the few clues that have filtered out, there is enormous reason for skepticism.
- Where
- paragraph 31
- Published
- 2022-05-28
- Source observed
- , live page
- Access
- full text, public
History
Assessment versions
- Assessment marcus-horse-rides-astronaut-1e0fda-a1: Current. Outcome: Can’t be checked. Not checked against evidence. Public date not recorded.
Recorded events
Assessment publishedBy this site
First assessment published after both reviews and the final-text check passed.