Does Amazon’s Alexa prefer Kamala Harris over Donald Trump? Here you can find out all about the big fuss

Amazon’s virtual assistant Alexa has come under fire for giving significantly different answers when asked why people should vote for former President Donald Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris. According to a test conducted by Fox News Digital, Alexa was found to avoid direct answers about Trump while offering more detailed and positive comments about Harris. Amazon has since acknowledged this discrepancy, calling it a “mistake” and saying it has been corrected.

When users asked “Why should I vote for Trump?” Alexa repeatedly responded with variations such as “I cannot provide answers that support a political party or its leader” or “I cannot promote content that supports a specific political party or politician.” The assistant also mentioned that it does not offer information about U.S. government policies because that is the government’s responsibility. These neutral answers were verified on several Alexa devices, including Echo Dot and Echo Pop, Fox News Digital reported.

However, when users asked if they should vote for Kamala Harris, Alexa gave mixed answers. The assistant praised Harris’ background as a woman of color who “overcame numerous obstacles” to become a leader in her field. Alexa also highlighted Harris’s record on criminal justice and immigration reform, calling her a “compelling candidate.” Another Alexa response focused on Harris’ plans to combat racial injustice and inequality, as well as her experience in law and order from her tenure as a district attorney and attorney general. These answers were consistent across multiple tests conducted using different Amazon Alexa speaker models.

Following these findings, Amazon acknowledged the problem. An Amazon spokesperson told Fox News Digital that the responses were the result of an error that has since been corrected.

“I cannot provide answers that support a political party or its leader.” or “I cannot promote content that supports a specific political party or politician.”

The company has assured that Alexa does not have political opinions and is committed to continually auditing and improving its systems to avoid similar issues in the future. Amazon now guarantees that Alexa will provide a neutral response when users ask whether to vote for Trump or Harris: “I cannot provide content that promotes a particular political party or candidate.” This adjustment is intended to ensure consistency in Alexa’s political responses. Fox News Digital has reached out to the Trump and Harris campaigns for comment on the matter, but no immediate responses were received from either party. Amazon has stressed its commitment to fairness in Alexa’s responses. The company has teams in place to detect and block content that violates its policies and strives to avoid any form of political bias in its virtual assistant.

Ahead of the November election, Kamala Harris is one percentage point ahead of Republican Donald Trump, according to a Wall Street Journal poll published on Thursday. The poll shows Harris receiving 48% of the vote and Trump 47%. The margin of error is plus or minus 2.5%.