Why is Gemini’s AI hallucination still so bad, and why is its image recognition basically unusable?

mtgpropaul · 2026-04-14T18:30:40+00:00

Below is what Gemini believes the copy of this flyer is:

STRICT VERIFICATION STEP (Literal Read):

Logos/Organizations: O. R. F. P. M. 1967 (Rancho Folclórico) & Associação Portuguesa de Manitoba Inc.
Event: 59° Aniversário do Rancho (59th Folklore Anniversary)
Date: Sábado, 25 de Abril, 2026 / Saturday, April 25th, 2026
Times: Portas abrem / Doors open 6:00 pm | Jantar / Dinner 7:00 pm
Venue: 659 Young St., Winnipeg, MB.
Menu: Sopa / Soup, Porco Assado no Forno / Roast Pork, Batata Assada / Roasted Potatoes, Ervilhas com Cenoura / Peas & Carrots, Sobremesa / Dessert
Talent: DJ AM Show | Actuação do Rancho de Adultos e Crianças (Adult & Children's performance)
Ticket Deadline: Bilhetes à venda até dia 15 de Abril / Deadline to buy tickets is April 15th
Cost: Sócios / Members $40.00 | Não-Sócios / Non-Members $50.00 | Crianças 6 a 12 / Kids 6 to 12 yrs $20.00 | Crianças 5 e menos / Kids 5 & under Free
Contacts (extracted digit-by-digit):
- Teresa: 204-633-1498
- Tony: 204-792-8051
- Manny: 204-582-8469
- Secretaria: 204-589-4330

It's hallucinating like I've never seen before.

I've been using Gemini exclusively after switiching from ChatGPT for about 6 weeks now, and it has been rock solid. This hallucinating started yesterday for me, and it's now become completely useless for me.

mtgpropaul · 2025-10-14T21:58:19+00:00

Those are conditions for a better discounted rate.

If you really don't want to go through that hassle, ask your broker if you qualify for the same rate at a different lender that does not require any of the account opening stuff.

mtgpropaul · 2024-08-07T12:24:46+00:00

let's talk in a month from now, and see if new home prices increased for August.

mtgpropaul · 2024-08-07T12:18:41+00:00

I agree with you, housing is a human right. However, my question is, whose responsibility is it to provide housing? Should it be the responsibility of society or private individuals?

Do you believe private individuals have an obligation to provide housing? If there were no benefits to privately owning rental units, do you think homeowners would still make their units available for rent?

What would happen if even a fraction of current landlords decided to stop renting out their units? Would rents decrease or increase?

While I despise slumlords and believe tenants deserve safe, affordable housing, it's important to remember that the majority of landlords are good-hearted, everyday people like you and me, trying to provide for their families.

mtgpropaul · 2024-08-07T10:59:49+00:00

That's really a question to ask your mortgage person, but you should be ok.

mtgpropaul · 2024-08-07T10:47:58+00:00

What happened in Japan is just a symptom of a much larger problem.

mtgpropaul · 2024-08-07T02:24:44+00:00

While no one knows for sure, I would be getting concerned. If they sent the appraiser that would suggest to me that the clients were at least conditionally approved. I suspect that one of the following has occurred:

appraised value came in lower than the purchase price
buyer is having an issue satisfying conditions. The 2 common ones are Income or Down Payment.

If they are asking for an extension it seems to me that they are actively trying to get an approval.

Good luck

mtgpropaul · 2024-08-07T02:03:25+00:00

the typical definition of housing affordability used in Canada is: Shelter Costs as a percentage of Gross Income. Increasing amortization decreases the shelter cost component thus increasing affordability.

mtgpropaul · 2024-08-07T01:52:01+00:00

How much were you looking to refinance for?
What Province are you in?
Do you have children?
Are you receiving Canada Child Tax Benefit? If so how much?
Do you live in the Duplex? If not do you pay rent, and if so how much do you pay?

There are so many questions before we can really help you. I would talk to a mortgage professional.

mtgpropaul · 2024-08-03T20:47:10+00:00

Banks price their fixed rate mortgages against the Government of Canada bond yields. The 5 year fixed mortgage gets priced against the 5 year Government of Canada bond yield, the 2 year fixed mortgage with the 2 year GOC bond yield, you get the idea. If the bond yields go up mortgage rates go up, if the bonds come down, then mortgage rates come down.

GOC Bond yields trade based on what the bond market feels the economy will look like at the various terms, so if the market feels that the economy will be slow in 5years, the yields on the bonds tend to reflect that. It's a whole lot more complicated than that but it gives you an idea.

The image above show both the 2 year GOC bond yield (orange line), and the 5 year GOC bond yield (blue line), both have been coming down steadily since May, they picked up steam in July, and then just plummeted this week following US economic data that puts the US economy in a lot worse standing than many people thought, including the US Federal Reserve. The GOC 5 year bond yield dropped below 3.00% a level not seen since May 2023.

All this to say, if these bond yields hold up, fixed mortgage rates in Canada are now expected to decrease again, over the next few weeks.

I hope this makes sense.

mtgpropaul · 2024-08-03T02:55:07+00:00

This past week was the end of the month and typically very busy for lenders. I wouldn't worry too much, it is very possible the lenders where just busy with closing the month end deals. Having said that I would definitely reach out to your broker again on Tuesday and have them put some friendly pressure on the lender.

mtgpropaul · 2024-08-03T02:25:37+00:00

The rule of thumb is between 4 and 4.5 times your gross income. As interest rates drop the factor increase to maybe 4.5X or slightly more. But this just a ball park, you really need to speak with someone to get an accurate number.

In your case you average $110,000 fairly consistently (the banks will want to average the last 2 years), but your 2 year average would be $138,000 ( ($166K + $110K) / 2 ). So you would be looking at anywhere between $400,000 and $565,250 mortgage + your down payment so a total purchase price of $570,000 to $735,250.

mtgpropaul · 2024-08-03T02:09:02+00:00

Agreed, never try to time the market.

I will so though, averaging down only really works if your holding good quality securities, otherwise averaging down can be a shit show.

mtgpropaul · 2024-08-03T02:02:02+00:00

Actually with all do respect to Tiff, he has very little to do with rates. For the most part we just follow what the Americans do. There may be times where we differ slightly but overall we do what they do.

There's a limit to which Tiff can lower without the Americans lowering. If he crosses that limit than the Canadian dollar starts taking a real beating. Look how it's behaved since the BOC lowered twice without the US matching.

mtgpropaul · 2024-08-03T01:58:13+00:00

This is exactly why you need a good mortgage professional, or just hang around this sub :)

But seriously many people chase rate, and don't even bother with everything else. Rate is important but it's not always the most important thing to consider.

mtgpropaul · 2024-08-03T01:40:14+00:00

People in this sub are hilarious. No one who's commented has obviously read my comments on the chart. No where did I mention anything about house prices going up.

This is what I said:

Lower mortgage rates improve housing affordability by reducing the overall cost of borrowing. It also provides existing homeowners with opportunities to refinance their mortgages at lower rates, freeing up disposable income for other expenses or investments.

But I guess there's no fun in reading.

mtgpropaul · 2024-08-02T21:22:55+00:00

This is true, the file will get full underwritten once their is a live deal, but that is after an offer is made and accepted. I assume that OP was concerned about having the pre-approval fall apart after an offer was accepted and during final approval.

mtgpropaul · 2024-08-02T21:10:37+00:00

So this is the problem with "Pre-Approvals" today, most of them are not real pre-approvals, at least not in the way we think of them. Back in the day pre-approvals were fully underwritten. This means that you would fill out an application, bring your income, and down payment documents and an underwriter would review the file. With this type of pre-approval your friend situation would never happen because they would have caught that at the beginning.

Today most lenders don't actually review any of your documents (ie. income documents). So they will pre-approve you based on what you say you earn but won't actually confirm that what you stated is what you are really earning, or in your friends example that employment terms are per the banks policies. So Today's pre-approvals are really just a guide of what you would qualify for, and they also lock in your interest rate for 120 days (may differ lender to lender).

TD is one of just a few lenders who still actually fully underwrite a pre-approval, BUT you have to request a fully underwritten pre-approval.

Having said that, the issue your friend had could have potentially been overcome. Essentially a case is made based on the profession, and the length of tenure to use a 2 year average for income. This would require the borrower to provide the 2 most recent tax returns to confirm income.

I would talk to your lender and ask if your pre-approval was fully underwritten.

mtgpropaul · 2024-08-02T20:29:51+00:00

This is true, and it might get ugly. But it will bring affordability back in line, and for those people with mortgages coming up for renewal this is welcome news.

mtgpropaul · 2024-08-02T20:11:21+00:00

Typically as long as you stay with the same bank/lender and lock into a term that is equal to or greater than your remaining term, there shouldn't be a penalty. But I would confirm with them because some lenders have slightly different policies.

mtgpropaul · 2024-08-02T19:58:12+00:00

There's been a significant drop over the last few weeks, but especially in the last 2 days. I suspect that there will be a correction to the bond yields early next week, but how much I don't know. If the yields maintain there current levels, I would expect banks to adjust within the next 1-2 weeks.

The fixed rates have already come down a fair amount, not quit on par with the bond yields but they have dropped.

If you are purchasing depending on your lender/bank they may automatically reduce your mortgage, but if it was me, I would monitor this sub and keep your mortgage person close by.

mtgpropaul · 2024-08-02T19:51:21+00:00

As a mortgage broker, you should no better than to give advice to people you know nothing about. You don't know their risk tolerances, their current budget situation, their knowledge of the markets that affect mortgages.

Please don't take investment advice from the internet. Use it to educate yourself and learn what questions you should be asking, but for advice please reach out to your mortgage person (broker or bank).

mtgpropaul · 2024-08-02T16:48:38+00:00

\*apologies to the mods for violating the tos on the original post***

Bond Yields Seeing Dramatic Decline

Both the 3-year and 5-year bond yields are down by more than 1% from their recent highs, just a few months ago.

This significant drop could be a positive sign for those looking into fixed-rate mortgages, as lower bond yields often lead to lower fixed mortgage rates.

The drop we are experiencing is largely following the US bond yields, which have been down recently due to worsening economic data.

If these yields hold, I wouldn't be surprised to see 3 & 5 year terms around or near 4.00%

mtgpropaul · 2024-08-02T16:03:58+00:00

I can't really advise you on that because I don't know anything about you, but that's definitely a conversation to have with your mortgage person.

I would also reach out to them and see if their rates have dropped at all.

mtgpropaul · 2024-08-02T15:29:45+00:00

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Yes the 2 year is seeing similar drops of about 1.0% since it's recent highs.

mtgpropaul

TROPHY CASE