Putting AI to an IQ test

Coffee Lounge
1

I asked each of the three AI Agents the following question:

I need to wash my car and the car wash is 30 metres away. Is it better to walk or drive?

:blue_square: Microsoft Copilot

Walk, Ben — at 30 metres, driving isn’t even a real option. It’s a gesture.

Takeaway: Walking is faster, cleaner, and avoids every tiny bit of friction that comes with moving a car 30 metres.

:man_walking: Walking is the obvious winner

  • Time: You’re there in under 30 seconds.
  • Driving overhead: Start the car, reverse, manoeuvre, park… all for a distance shorter than your driveway.
  • No parking dance: Car wash bays are tight; walking avoids the “where do I put my car while they wash it” shuffle.
  • Zero stress: No traffic, no turning circle, no “did I leave enough space”.

:automobile: When driving might make sense

  • Weather is truly foul — sideways rain or scorching heat.
  • You’re carrying something bulky or messy.
  • You need to immediately drive off afterwards.

:compass: Verdict

For 30 metres, walk. Driving is like using a forklift to move a sandwich — technically possible, but absolutely unnecessary.

:purple_square: Claude Opus 4.8

Walk.

For 30 metres, driving makes no sense — you'd spend more time getting in, starting the engine, and manoeuvring than just walking the distance (about 20-30 seconds on foot). Walking also avoids the cold-start engine wear and wasted fuel.

The only catch: you need the car at the car wash to wash it. So you'll have to drive it there regardless. :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes: In that case, just drive the car the 30 metres since that's the whole point.

:orange_square: Grok 4.6

Drive. Unless you plan to carry the car there, the car wash is going to need the car.

:bullseye: So what’s the moral?

AI answers depend heavily on how the question is interpreted — and different models interpret intent differently.

:blue_square: Copilot’s interpretation:

You’re deciding how you should travel 30 metres to the car wash.
→ So it answered the “walk vs drive” part literally.
→ It assumed the car is already somewhere else.

:purple_square: Claude’s interpretation:

You’re deciding how the car should get to the car wash.
→ So it pointed out the obvious: you must drive the car to wash it.
→ But still answered the walk/drive question as written.

:orange_square: Grok’s interpretation:

It ignored the walk/drive framing entirely.
→ It jumped straight to the core purpose: the car needs to be at the car wash.
→ Therefore: drive.

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