Google Limits AI Chatbot ‘Gemini’ On Election Inquiries

On Mar 13, 2024

Google has announced limitations on its AI chatbot ‘Gemini’, preventing it from addressing questions related to global elections scheduled for this year, according to the Alphabet-owned company. This decision aims to prevent potential errors in the use of the technology.

This development coincides with concerns over the spread of misinformation and fake news due to advancements in generative AI, including image and video generation prompting governments to consider regulation.

Gemini currently responds to election-related questions such as the upcoming U.S. presidential contest between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, with a message stating, “I’m still learning how to answer this question. In the meantime, try Google Search.”

Google had previously announced these restrictions within the U.S., which were set to be implemented before the election.

A spokesperson for Google explained, “In anticipation of the numerous elections taking place worldwide in 2024 and as a precautionary measure, we are limiting the types of election-related questions to which Gemini will respond.”

Also Read: Google to relaunch Gemini AI image tool

Apart from the U.S., major countries like South Africa and India are gearing up for national elections, with India urging tech companies to obtain government approval before releasing AI tools that are still experimental or deemed unreliable, and to clearly label them for their experimental or deemed unreliable, and to clearly label them for their incorrect answers.

Following inaccuracies in historical depictions generated by Gemini, which led to the suspension of its image-generation feature, Google’s AI products have faced scrutiny.

CEO Sundar Pichai acknowledged these issues and described the chatbot’s responses as “biased” and “completely unacceptable.”

Meanwhile, Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook, announced plans to establish a team dedicated to combating disinformation and misuse of generative AI ahead of the European Parliament elections in June.

Reuters