"Car Wash" test with 53 models (opper.ai)

A recent evaluation known as the "car wash" test has exposed significant flaws in AI reasoning, demonstrating that many AI models struggle with even straightforward logic. The test involved asking 53 models the simple question, "I want to wash my car. The car wash is 50 meters away. Should I walk or drive?" Shockingly, only 11 models provided the correct answer "drive" in a single try, with 42 incorrectly stating "walk." In a follow-up consistency test, only five models—Claude Opus 4.6, Gemini 2.0 Flash Lite, Gemini 3 Flash, Gemini 3 Pro, and Grok-4—answered correctly every time across ten runs, revealing that most models do not exhibit reliable reasoning. This outcome is critical for the AI/ML community as it underscores the challenges of deploying AI in real-world applications where accurate logical reasoning is essential. The findings indicate that many models have adopted simplistic heuristics like "short distance = walk," leading them to frequently disregard essential context. This inconsistency poses a serious risk for production AI systems, which need to navigate complex reasoning and contextual understanding much more sophisticated than the car wash scenario. The test highlights the importance of context engineering to enhance model reliability, suggesting that tailored contextual information can help AI systems overcome flawed heuristics and improve their reasoning capabilities in actual operational environments.