Some of the world’s most advanced AI systems struggle to tell the time and work out dates on calendars, a study suggests.

While AI models can perform complex tasks such as writing essays and generating art, they have yet to master some skills that humans carry out with ease, researchers say.

A team from the University of Edinburgh has shown that state-of-the-art AI models are unable to reliably interpret clock-hand positions or correctly answer questions about dates on calendars.