Google has decided to restrict its Gemini AI chatbot from answering election-related questions in countries where elections are taking place. This means that users will not be able to obtain information about candidates, political parties, or other political elements from the chatbot.
To prevent the dissemination of misinformation, Google has implemented measures like digital watermarking and content labels for AI-generated content. However, this decision to restrict Gemini's capabilities has raised questions about the overall reliability and accuracy of Google's AI tools.
Daniel Susser, an associate professor of information science at Cornell University, argues that if Google's AI tools are not dependable enough to provide accurate information about democratic elections, their trustworthiness in other areas, such as health or financial information, should also be scrutinized. This raises doubts about Google's long-term plans to incorporate generative AI across its services, including search.
Gemini has faced criticism in the past for generating inaccurate images related to historical situations, particularly depicting people of color in inappropriate roles. Google responded to the controversy by temporarily suspending some of Gemini's capabilities and committing to addressing the issue.
The incident involving Gemini not only highlights the challenges of AI-generated misinformation but also underscores the scrutiny faced by major AI companies. Google, in particular, has faced accusations from Republican lawmakers, alleging that its AI tools promote a leftist ideology. This has led to calls for Google's CEO, Sundar Pichai, to testify before Congress regarding Gemini.
In response to public backlash and concerns, AI companies like OpenAI and Google are increasingly willing to block their chatbots from engaging with sensitive questions that may lead to negative public perceptions. However, determining which questions to block can be a contentious issue, as evidenced by the recent report indicating that Gemini would not answer questions about Palestine but would respond to similar queries about Israel