Google's AI struggles with child's video game
Google's Gemini 2.5 Pro AI recently tried playing Pokemon Blue, but kept getting stuck in "panic mode"—making clumsy moves like healing or running away over and over when its Pokemon were low on health.
Even after some tweaks, it took the AI hundreds of hours (813 at first, then 406.5) to finish the game.
Gemini's 'panic mode' shows it struggles under pressure
When things got tense in-game, Gemini had trouble using smart strategies—kind of like how people freeze up under pressure, even though the AI doesn't actually feel stress.
This shows that even advanced AIs have a lot to learn about making good decisions when things get tough.
Gemini's struggles highlight the gap between humans and AI
Testing AIs with games like Pokemon is a fun way to see if they're getting closer to real human thinking.
For now, though, Gemini's struggles highlight how much more work is needed before AI can truly handle tricky situations on its own.