AI Struggles To Understand FCS Championship
 | Author:
Victor Sample
Vic Sample: MT43 News Treasurer |
AI Struggles to Understand FCS Championship
Victor Sample
As part of my continuing attempts to amuse you with my misadventures with AI, I will regale you with my attempts to get AI to tell me how many FCS Championships the Montana State Bobcats have played since 2020.
It would seem like a straightforward question, especially since I already knew the answer. I asked Microsoft’s AI app CoPilot how many FCS Championship games that the Montana State University Bobcats have played since 2020. All Montana college football fans know the Cats played in the 2021, 2024 and 2025 season FCS Championship games.
Copilot responded that “Montana State has played in two FCS National Championship games since 2020: the 2021 season title game and the 2025–26 title game.” CoPilot then went on to note “MSU lost a heartbreaker to North Dakota State in last year's final."
???
I then asked if that heartbreaker to North Dakota State in last year’s final didn’t indicate that the Cats played in the 2024 season championship? CoPilot then stated that it incorrectly implied that MSU played in the 2024 Championship: “I incorrectly implied there was a 2024–25 Montana State title-game loss, which is not true."
I then asked who did play in the 2024 season FCS Championship Game. The answer: ”The 2024 FCS National Championship Game was played between Montana State and North Dakota State. North Dakota State won the game 35–32.”
???
Me: Doesn't that imply that the MSU Bobcats played in that game? Giving them 3 appearances, 2021, 2024 and 2025?
CoPilot: “Montana State did NOT play in the 2024 FCS Championship Game.” It then went on to clarify: “The teams in that game were South Dakota State vs. Montana” and “Montana State has played in exactly two FCS Championship Games since 2020.”
???
I then asked if CoPilot understood the difference between the University of Montana and Montana State University; that Montana State University did, in fact, play in the 2024 season Championship game.
CoPilot then proceeded to gently lecture me: “The Two Schools Are Completely Different: Montana State University (MSU) is located in Bozeman, and the University of Montana is located in Missoula. They are rivals, and their postseason histories are separate."
However, at that point, CoPilot did acknowledge that MSU played in three Championship games since 2020.
When I asked why it continually gave me the wrong answer with conflicting statements, CoPilot responded, “Because I was trying to reconstruct the championship history WITHOUT GROUNDING IT IN VERIFIED DATA.”
I did eventually get the right answer, but only because I already knew the answer and persisted in questioning the AI responses. While this was an amusing AI session, it does show the MOST important reason why AI is so dangerous!
