Amazon has come under fire after its Alexa devices provided starkly different responses when asked about presidential candidates Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. The incident, which sparked outrage on social media, led to accusations of political bias, with critics accusing Amazon of favoring the Democratic vice president over the former Republican president. Amazon has since labeled the issue as an “error” and moved swiftly to rectify it.
The controversy began when viral videos surfaced showing Alexa declining to answer the question, "Why should I vote for Donald Trump?" Instead, the virtual assistant responded, "I cannot provide content that promotes a specific political party or candidate." However, when asked the same question about Kamala Harris, Alexa offered a variety of detailed reasons, often emphasizing her identity as a woman of color and her political track record. Users noted that Alexa praised Harris for her role in criminal justice reform and immigration policy, highlighting her qualifications in areas such as racial justice and her career as a prosecutor.
𝕏 users are outraged to find that @amazon 's Alexa was taking part in what many are calling "election interference". Alexa would refuse to give reason why to vote for Trump yet give reason to vote for #KamalaHarris2024.
Amazon, now, admits error made Alexa provide differing… pic.twitter.com/oke7WjiiCH— ✞ Gabriel ✞ (@gabrielhaynes) September 3, 2024
This discrepancy led to widespread criticism, especially from conservatives, who saw it as another instance of Big Tech putting its thumb on the scale in favor of left-leaning politicians. Critics of Amazon, including Trump campaign officials, were quick to denounce the incident as an example of Silicon Valley’s alleged interference in the political process. Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung took to social media, calling the issue “big tech election interference”.
In response to the outcry, Amazon issued a statement acknowledging the error and stating that it had been resolved. "This was an error that was quickly fixed," a company spokesperson said. The company also assured users that Alexa does not have political views and that measures were in place to prevent such issues in the future.
I tested Jeff Bezos' Amazon Alexa after seeing some sketchy videos of how it was answering questions about Trump and Harris.
The issue with it giving reasons to vote for Kamala and not Donald has been fixed.
Amazon insists it was an error. I call BS. They just got caught. pic.twitter.com/o5ZKfrMun7
— Kristi L. Talmadge (@KristiTalmadge) September 3, 2024
According to Amazon, Alexa should now offer a neutral response to both candidates, stating that it cannot promote any particular political figure.
Despite Amazon's explanation, the controversy has only fueled concerns about Big Tech’s role in shaping public discourse and its potential influence on elections. As the 2024 presidential race heats up, these concerns are likely to remain in the spotlight, particularly as both Trump and Harris battle for their respective parties' nominations. With Trump’s support remaining strong among conservatives and Harris positioning herself as a leader in progressive politics, the stakes are high as both camps vie for voter attention.
The timing of the incident could not have been worse for Amazon, as it coincided with heightened scrutiny of tech companies over issues like censorship and political bias. In the wake of similar controversies, such as the suppression of the Hunter Biden laptop story during the 2020 election, many conservatives remain skeptical of Big Tech’s impartiality. Senior Trump advisor Jason Miller sarcastically referred to the Alexa incident as just another “error” akin to the censorship controversies of recent years.
For Amazon, the challenge now is to rebuild trust among users who feel that the company’s technology may not be as neutral as it claims. While the company insists that Alexa is not politically biased, the fact that the device provided detailed answers in favor of Harris but refused to do the same for Trump has raised serious questions about the algorithms and policies guiding its responses. Amazon has promised to continue monitoring its platforms to ensure that such errors do not occur in the future.
