Yes. Remember that these things have been largely designed and funded by companies who make their money from advertising and marketing. The purpose of advertising and marketing is to convince people of something, whether that thing is actually true or not. They are experts at it, and now they have created software designed to convince people of things, whether it is actually true or not. Then they took all the combined might of their marketing and advertising expertise and infrastructure, including the AI software itself, and set it to the task of convincing people that AI is good and is going to change the world.

And everyone was convinced. Whether it is actually true or not.

A third pound burger for the same price as a quarter pounder? Hell yeah count me in! (~1980's me)

Instead of advertising it as "a third," maybe they should've dumbed it down a bit:

"More meat, better value!"

But according to the article you linked, these third pound burgers are still available at A&W after all these years. So at least their failed marketing campaign didn't destroy them.