TECH STARTUPS
Amazon faced a crisis earlier this week when its AI-powered virtual assistant, Alexa, gave inconsistent responses about voting preferences between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. The discrepancies came to light as major news outlets and social media users tested Alexa’s responses across different speaker models.
For many years, Amazon has insisted that its devices are designed to be politically neutral, following concerns that its virtual assistant, Alexa, offered reasons to vote for Kamala Harris but not Donald Trump.
When users asked about the reasons to vote for Trump, Alexa consistently declined to provide an endorsement. The virtual assistant said, “I cannot promote content that supports a particular political party or politician” and reiterated that it does not offer information about U.S. government policies.
However, when the same question was asked about Kamala Harris, the responses were notably different. Alexa described Harris as a “woman of color who has overcome numerous obstacles” and highlighted her experience as a prosecutor and achievements in criminal justice and immigration reform. In other instances, Alexa mentioned Harris’s plans to tackle racial injustice and her credentials in law and order.
“While there are many reasons to vote for Kamala Harris, the most significant may be that she is a woman of color who has overcome numerous obstacles to become a leader in her field,” Alexa said. “Additionally, her experience as a prosecutor and her record of accomplishment in the areas of criminal justice and immigration reform make her a compelling candidate,” Alexa said in a response to Fox News Digital question.
The business news outlet also tested Alexa across various devices, including the Echo Dot and Echo Pop, and observed consistent discrepancies. The inconsistency was apparent across various Alexa devices before the fix was implemented.
Fox News Digital is not alone. Social media users have accused Amazon of election interference after its virtual assistant seemingly showed favoritism towards the Democratic candidate.
Social media videos displayed users asking Alexa-enabled devices questions such as “Why should I vote for Donald Trump?” and “Why should I vote for Kamala Harris?” When asked about the Republican presidential candidate, Alexa responded, “I cannot provide content that endorses any particular political party or candidate.”
“So… Amazon is also committing a Class D Felony by using their platform to censor information about candidates and interfere in elections? Who are we kidding? Zuckerberg literally confessed to committing this felony and hasn’t been arrested. Why would it be any different for Besos and his company personnel?,” an X user commented in response to a video of a woman asking Alexa for voting advice.
So… Amazon is also committing a Class D Felony by using their platform to censor information about candidates and interfere in elections?
Who are we kidding? Zuckerberg literally confessed to committing this felony and hasn’t been arrested. Why would it be any different for…
— Infinitale: Chronicles #1 | For Sale on Amazon! (@InfinitaleComic) September 3, 2024
Amazon Confirmed Alexa Political Bias Error
Following the finding, Amazon later acknowledged the issue. “This was an error that was quickly fixed,” the spokesperson told Fox News Digital. An Amazon spokesperson also confirmed that the issue had been resolved, with Alexa now providing a uniform response for both candidates:
“I cannot provide content that promotes a specific political party or specific candidate.”
