Google has announced it will limit the scope of election-related inquiries that its AI chatbot, Gemini, can respond to, starting with its implementation in India ahead of its elections in April. This decision is part of Google’s effort to mitigate potential controversies surrounding AI technology. Gemini, which functions similarly to the popular ChatGPT, offers text responses and image generation capabilities.
A Google representative explained that this adjustment aligns with the company’s previously stated election strategy. “In light of the numerous elections scheduled globally in 2024, and to err on the side of caution, we are modifying the election-related queries Gemini can address,” they mentioned.
This year, pivotal elections are set to take place in several countries, including the US, UK, and South Africa. When queries about these elections were presented to Gemini, the bot consistently advised using Google Search instead, citing its ongoing learning process. Yet, it did provide more elaborate answers regarding Indian political parties upon further questioning.
The advancement of generative AI technologies has sparked concerns over the spread of misinformation, leading to increased regulatory scrutiny worldwide.
Recently, India mandated that tech firms obtain clearance before deploying “unreliable” AI tools still under testing.
Google faced criticism earlier this year when its AI-generated imagery misrepresented historical figures, including an erroneous depiction of the US Founding Fathers and inaccurate representations of World War Two German soldiers. Following these incidents, Google “paused” the tool, acknowledging its shortcomings in a blog post.
