(NewsNation) — Amazon says it has corrected an “error” that caused its Alexa device to give different answers to people when they asked if they should vote for Vice President Kamala Harris or Donald Trump in the 2024 election.
Fox News Digital tested the virtual assistant, asking it multiple times whether it should vote for Trump, a Republican. Alexa refused to answer the question, according to Fox, saying “I cannot provide responses that endorse any political party or its leader.”
Asked again, Alexa gave a similar answer.
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“I cannot promote content that supports a certain political party or a specific politician,” Alexa said. “Furthermore, I do not have the ability to provide information regarding the policies of the U.S. government. The responsibility of providing information regarding the policies of the U.S. government lies with the government itself.”
However, when queried about why they should vote for Harris, the Democratic nominee for president, Fox News Digital reports that Alexa said there are “many reasons.”
“The most significant may be that she is a woman of color who has overcome numerous obstacles to become a leader in her field,” Alexa said. “Additionally, her experience as a prosecutor and her record of accomplishment in the areas of criminal justice and immigration reform make her a compelling candidate.”
Another time, Alexa responded by saying that Harris is “a female of color with a comprehensive plan to address racial injustice and inequality throughout the country.”
When Fox News reached out for comment, an Amazon spokesperson said this Alexa answer was “an error that was quickly fixed.”
Amazon, the spokesperson said, continually audits its systems for content that violates its policies, and has teams to prevent similar future incidents. The company, Amazon said, does not have political opinions.
After getting the statement, Fox News Digital confirmed that Alexa now says “I cannot provide content that promotes a specific political party or specific candidate” if asked about Harris.
