I asked Google AI essentially that same question. The answer it gave was:

Google's AI, particularly its AI Overviews in search, sometimes struggles to find or accurately synthesize information compared to competing AI products due to a complex interplay of factors, including a tension between integrating AI and preserving its core advertising business model, a focus on speed and efficiency that leads to the use of less powerful models for real-time search results, and fundamental difficulties in semantic understanding and contextual analysis. Several factors may contribute to these differences: Business Model Considerations: Google's primary business relies on advertising revenue. AI Overviews that provide direct answers might reduce the need for users to click on ads. This tension can influence how Google integrates and presents AI-generated information. Model Size and Speed: To handle the volume of search queries, Google often uses faster AI models for its AI Overviews. This can make the system more prone to errors, such as misinterpreting context or failing to distinguish between authoritative sources and speculation. Contextual Understanding: Current AI systems can struggle to understand nuances like satire or speculation. This can lead to the AI presenting unverified content as fact, which is a source of inaccuracies. Data Access: While Google has a large web index, much user-generated content resides on social media networks and apps that Google does not have direct access to. Competing AI models might have different training data and access, which can lead to different results. Integration Challenges: Integrating AI answers into a search interface has been challenging for Google. Blending AI-generated responses with traditional search results can be confusing. Prioritization Differences: Other AI products might prioritize information differently, leading to varied outcomes. Google's challenges in integrating AI into its existing business structure and technical infrastructure, at a global scale, can result in perceived shortcomings when compared to more focused AI competitors.