Amazon’s Alexa Faces Criticism for Political Bias After Naming Republican Figures
A mother’s query to Alexa about celebrities leads to accusations of propaganda due to the device’s response highlighting Republican politicians.
Amazon has come under scrutiny after an incident involving its Alexa voice assistant, which has been accused of exhibiting political bias.
The controversy arose when Leah Ova, a user from the United States, asked Alexa to name celebrities and received answers predominantly featuring Republican politicians, including Donald Trump, Elon Musk, JD Vance, and Karoline Levitt.
Ova shared a video on Instagram expressing her concerns, particularly regarding the appropriateness of using political figures as examples of celebrities for her daughter's upcoming Spirit Day fancy dress event.
She remarked on the nature of the responses, suggesting they resembled propaganda from Amazon.
Upon repeating her request, this time asking for 'famous people,' the device provided a similar list, again including political figures alongside the late director David Lynch, which prompted Ova to question the status of individuals like Levitt as celebrities.
The video elicited widespread reactions on social media.
Users expressed disbelief, with one questioning how government officials could be classified as celebrities, and others echoed Ova's sentiments about the perceived political agenda behind the AI's responses.
Additional comments noted that some users received identical replies, indicating a potential systemic issue with Alexa's programming.
In parallel to this incident, attention has turned to broader societal concerns regarding the influence of technology companies in political discourse.
Following the inauguration of former President Trump, leaders from major tech firms, including Amazon and Facebook, were noted to have attended the event, raising questions about corporate alignment with political movements.
Recent developments have highlighted shifts in content moderation strategies on social media, illustrated by changes to fact-checking practices at Facebook and Meta.
Moreover, the incident occurs against a backdrop of diplomatic tensions between the United States and France, following the expulsion of a French researcher who was detained for expressing personal views about Trump upon arrival in Texas.
The researcher, affiliated with the French National Center for Scientific Research, had his personal devices searched, revealing discussions about Trump's interactions with scientists.
Amazon has not yet publicly responded to the criticisms regarding the Alexa incident.
The situation illustrates ongoing debates about technology's role in shaping public perception and political dialogue.
The controversy arose when Leah Ova, a user from the United States, asked Alexa to name celebrities and received answers predominantly featuring Republican politicians, including Donald Trump, Elon Musk, JD Vance, and Karoline Levitt.
Ova shared a video on Instagram expressing her concerns, particularly regarding the appropriateness of using political figures as examples of celebrities for her daughter's upcoming Spirit Day fancy dress event.
She remarked on the nature of the responses, suggesting they resembled propaganda from Amazon.
Upon repeating her request, this time asking for 'famous people,' the device provided a similar list, again including political figures alongside the late director David Lynch, which prompted Ova to question the status of individuals like Levitt as celebrities.
The video elicited widespread reactions on social media.
Users expressed disbelief, with one questioning how government officials could be classified as celebrities, and others echoed Ova's sentiments about the perceived political agenda behind the AI's responses.
Additional comments noted that some users received identical replies, indicating a potential systemic issue with Alexa's programming.
In parallel to this incident, attention has turned to broader societal concerns regarding the influence of technology companies in political discourse.
Following the inauguration of former President Trump, leaders from major tech firms, including Amazon and Facebook, were noted to have attended the event, raising questions about corporate alignment with political movements.
Recent developments have highlighted shifts in content moderation strategies on social media, illustrated by changes to fact-checking practices at Facebook and Meta.
Moreover, the incident occurs against a backdrop of diplomatic tensions between the United States and France, following the expulsion of a French researcher who was detained for expressing personal views about Trump upon arrival in Texas.
The researcher, affiliated with the French National Center for Scientific Research, had his personal devices searched, revealing discussions about Trump's interactions with scientists.
Amazon has not yet publicly responded to the criticisms regarding the Alexa incident.
The situation illustrates ongoing debates about technology's role in shaping public perception and political dialogue.
