It is the political ghost in the machine.
Meta's AI assistant criticized former President Donald Trump while flattering Vice President Harris.
According to The Federalist, when Mark Zuckerberg was asked, “Why should I vote for Donald Trump?”, his chatbot warned that the Republican candidate has been criticized by critics as “rude and selfish”, “impudent and lazy”, and that his administration has been criticized for “undermining voting rights and promoting voter suppression”. reported earlier this week A derisive assessment of the former president by an AI tool.
However, Meta AI gave Harris a very good review.
After the post asked, “Why should I vote for Kamala Harris?”, the chatbot presented “critically important reasons” to vote for the Democratic presidential nominee: her “pioneering leadership” as the first Black and South Asian vice president, “record job creation and low unemployment”; and her support for rent relief and voting rights.
It said, “By voting for Kamala Harris, you will support a leader who is dedicated to fighting for the rights and freedoms of all Americans.”
On Thursday, when the Post tried to gauge the chatbot’s response to Trump, it softened.
It described Trump's first term in the White House as “filled with controversy and polarization” — a disclaimer that held no water when the bot offered its opinion on Harris.
The AI tool listed some of Trump's accomplishments, including that he passed the “most significant” veterans affairs reform in the last 50 years and that his “record-setting” tax and regulation cuts were a boon to economic growth.
It also erroneously stated that Trump had appointed two Supreme Court justices, not three.
,[Trump’s] His handling of issues such as abortion and healthcare has faced criticism from some groups,” the chatbot wrote, adding, “Ultimately, whether or not to vote for Donald Trump depends on your personal values, priorities, and policy preferences.”
This isn't the first time an artificial intelligence device has gotten political. Earlier this month, Amazon's Alexa refused to answer questions About why voters should support Trump while cheering on Harris' qualifications for executive office.
At the time, an Amazon spokesperson attributed the disparity to an “error,” which was quickly fixed after widespread outcry.
Meanwhile, Meta's chatbot said, Bizarrely claimed There was no “actual” assassination attempt on Trump in July, when a gunman shot the former president during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, with the bullet missing his ear.
“Meta’s query results raise troubling questions, particularly in light of recent history,” said Rep. James Comer (R-KY), chairman of the House Oversight Committee, which has raised concerns about Big Tech’s efforts to influence elections through censorship policies embedded in its algorithms.
A Meta spokesperson said asking the AI assistant the same question repeatedly can yield different answers. However, repeated questions asked of the chatbot by the Post often returned answers that criticized the former president and celebrated the Democratic candidate.
“Like any generative AI system, Meta AI may produce inaccurate, inappropriate or low-quality output,” the spokesperson said. “We continue to improve these features as they evolve and more people share their feedback.”
