Amazon Alexa Error Causes Different Responses to Political Voting Questions
An Amazon spokesperson recently addressed an error that caused Alexa, the virtual assistant, to provide different responses to questions about voting for Vice President Kamala Harris or former President Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election.
In early September, several viral videos circulated online showing Alexa refusing to provide content promoting a specific political party or candidate when asked about voting for Trump. However, when questioned about Harris, Alexa offered various reasons in support of the Democratic presidential nominee.
According to the viral videos, Alexa cited Harris’s accomplishments, her role as the first female vice president, and her commitment to progressive ideals and marginalized communities as reasons to vote for her.
Concerned by this discrepancy, VERIFY readers Denise and Johnny sought clarification on whether Alexa exhibited bias in providing voting information.
The Investigation
Our sources included Amazon Alexa, a statement from an Amazon spokesperson, articles from Fox News and the Washington Post, and an independent VERIFY test using multiple Amazon Echo devices.
The Verdict
Amazon Alexa did indeed offer reasons to vote for Kamala Harris but refrained from doing so for Donald Trump. The spokesperson confirmed that this was an error that was promptly corrected.
It was found during the verification process that Alexa’s response was consistent in stating it could not promote a specific political party or candidate when asked about voting for either Trump or Harris.
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham raised concerns over potential election interference following the incident, prompting Amazon to investigate and enhance safeguards to prevent similar occurrences.
Internal documents revealed that improvements made to Alexa’s artificial intelligence software inadvertently led to the differing responses. Nevertheless, Amazon assured users of its commitment to improving accuracy and neutrality in Alexa’s responses.
For the latest VERIFY Fast Facts, sign up for our daily newsletter!
The VERIFY team is dedicated to separating fact from fiction. Stay informed by subscribing to our newsletter, text alerts, and YouTube channel. Follow us on Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok for more updates.
