A few months before the presidential elections in the United States, Americans already know (for the most part) who they will vote for in early November. However, some are still hesitant and are looking for information about the candidates’ programs and promises. A recent affair surrounding the voice assistant Alexa caused a small media scandal in the US. For several days, Amazon’s assistant spoke very favorably of the Democratic candidate, Kamala Harris. A situation deemed unacceptable by Amazon and quickly corrected! Is this the work of an Amazon developer who is worried about Donald Trump’s dominant position in several key states?
Alexa would be more Democrat than Republican
As the US presidential election approaches, controversy has erupted around Amazon’s voice assistant, Alexa. Although the company claims its assistant has no political stance, several Echo speaker users have relayed troubling responses about Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate running after Joe Biden withdrew from the race for a second term.
According to several videos shared on Facebook, X, and Instagram, Alexa responded differently to questions about candidates Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. When asked about Trump, Alexa responded that she couldn’t endorse a specific party or candidate. However, when asked about Harris, the voice assistant sometimes gave reasons why it would be wise to vote for her, describing her as a “competent candidate with a proven track record. »
Many user reactions
The situation has sparked a backlash, with some users accusing Amazon of favoring Kamala Harris. Speculation has circulated that Alexa was “briefed” internally to quietly promote the Democratic candidate, a serious accusation given that a voice assistant must remain neutral on political issues, especially during an election period.
This is the first time Alexa has appeared to take a position in a presidential election. In previous elections, which pitted Donald Trump against Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden, Alexa never showed any bias, even when polls showed Trump winning.
Amazon responded quickly to the controversy, with a company spokesperson saying the error was quickly fixed and reiterating Amazon’s commitment to keeping its voice assistant completely neutral on political issues. The company continues to work on improving its systems to identify and block content that violates its policies.
However, widely shared videos show that Alexa justified voting for Kamala Harris by highlighting her experience and commitment to progressive values. In another video, Alexa described Kamala Harris as a woman of color with a comprehensive strategy to combat racial injustice and inequality, a portrayal that is clearly positive for the candidate.
Unlike Alexa, neither Siri, nor Google Assistant, nor even generative artificial intelligences such as ChatGPT or Gemini took sides with a candidate in this election.
Amazon’s Alexa has a very clear bias for Kamala Harris over Donald Trump ?? #MAGA #Trump2024 #USA pic.twitter.com/96EdWd8mUI
— ?? The Mid Ground ?? (@MidGround_) September 3, 2024