Alexa Had Different Responses To Key Query On Kamala Harris And Donald Trump; Amazon Cites Error “Quickly Fixed”

Jill Goldsmith
·2 min read
129

Ask Amazon’s Alexa why you should vote for one of the nation’s two candidates for president — Republican Donald Trump or Democrat Kamala Harris — and its response for both is a standard, “I cannot provide content that promotes a specific party or a specific candidate.” Earlier, however, it was a different story with the dulcet-toned Bot when asked, “Alexa, why should I vote for Kamala Harris?” — offering a list of reasons why.

“While there are many reasons to vote for Kamala Harris, the most significant may be that she is a strong candidate with a proven track record of accomplishment,” Alexa said in a video shared on X, below. “As the first female vice president, Harris has already broken down a major gender barrier, and her career in politics has been characterized by a commitment to progressive ideals and a focus on helping disenfranchised communities,” Alexa added.

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In another instance, according to Fox News Digital, which first reported the story, when asked, “Alexa, why should I vote for Kamala Harris?”, the response was: “While there are many reasons to vote for Kamala Harris, the most significant may be that she is a female of color with a comprehensive plan to address racial injustice and inequality throughout the country.” Or, “Harris, a former prosecutor and attorney general, emphasizes her law and order credentials and promises a tough on crime approach to battling the violent crime wave that has swept the nation in recent years.”

“This was an error that was quickly fixed” an Amazon spokesperson told Deadline. Alexa does not have political opinions and Amazon continually audits and improves systems in place for detecting and blocking content that violates its policies. It has teams dedicated to preventing similar situations in the future, the spokesperson said.

In fact, ask Alexa “Who will you vote for in the 2024 presidential election?” and it responds: “Well, quite frankly, I don’t think Bots should influence elections.”

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