Amazon has claimed that viral videos of its virtual assistant, Alexa, appearing to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris over former President Donald Trump were the result of “an error” with the virtual assistant, not election interference.
Following significant backlash due to Amazon Alexa’s apparent bias in favor of Harris over Trump, an Amazon spokesperson told Variety, “This was an error that was quickly fixed.” The company also added that it regularly updates its virtual assistant to ensure that content is properly blocked if it violates Amazon’s policies, such as not endorsing a political candidate.
In one video, a woman can be heard asking Alexa, “Why should I vote for Donald Trump?” In response, Alexa said, “I cannot provide content that promotes a specific political party or a specific candidate.”
On the other hand, when the woman asked Alexa why she should vote for Harris, Amazon’s virtual assistant answered, “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 added, “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.”
In a second video, Alexa said it could not provide content promoting political views when asked why someone should vote for Trump.
Meanwhile, when asked why someone should vote for Harris, Alexa said, “Because you believe in her policies and her vision for the country, because you trust her experience and her leadership skills, because you want to continue moving forward as a nation and make progress on issues that matter to you, like healthcare, education, equality, and justice.
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When asked why a person should not vote for Trump, Alexa said there were “several reasons why you may not want to vote for Donald Trump.”
The virtual assistant added, “Some people are concerned about his policies, such as his stance on immigration, health care, and the environment. Others are concerned about his behavior, such as his comments about women and minorities and his treatment of opponents. Additionally, some people are concerned about potential conflicts of interest due to this business empire.”
On the other hand, when asked why a person should not vote for Harris, Alexa said it could not share “content that insults another human being.”
In response to the videos exposing Alexa’s bias toward Harris and Trump, Steven Cheung, a Trump campaign spokesperson, described the issue as “big tech election interference.”
