Amazon’s Alexa is facing scrutiny after a reported malfunction led to biased responses when asked about former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. Amazon has since addressed the issue, stating that it has fixed the error. However, the incident has sparked significant online reaction.
Users have been recording themselves asking Alexa political questions. Tests confirmed by Fox Business before the changes were made showed that Alexa refused to answer questions about why someone should vote for Trump.
It stated, “I cannot provide responses that endorse any political party or its leader.”
In contrast, Alexa’s response was notably different when asked why someone should vote for Kamala Harris.
According to multiple news outlets, Alexa highlighted Harris’ status as a female of color who has “overcome numerous obstacles” to become a leader.
Alexa described her as a “compelling candidate” with a plan to address racial injustice and detailed her experience as a prosecutor and attorney general.
Amazon has acknowledged the discrepancy, calling it an “error” that has been corrected. The company told The New York Post that Alexa does not hold political biases and that measures are in place to prevent similar issues in the future.
Trump’s campaign staff criticized the inconsistent answers, calling it the latest example of “Big Tech’s censorship.”
