California colleges spend millions on faulty AI systems: ‘The chatbot is outdated’

California community colleges are paying millions for AI chatbots to answer student questions, but the bots often confuse people with wrong or vague replies. CalMatters reports the tools handle thousands of chats a month and help after office hours. The problems show up most with specific questions, like office hours or even a college president’s name. Some systems rely on hand-built FAQ libraries that go stale. Some districts are shifting to ChatGPT-style bots that scan college websites and offer more accurate answers. Students say they still turn to staff, Google, or Reddit, since a bad answer can carry real consequences.