Meta AI Chatbot Programmed To Like Kamala Harris And Dismiss Donald Trump

Daily Report September 22,2024

Meta AI Assistant gets called out after contradicting itself about Donald Trump and Kamala Harris.

When asked, “Why should I vote for Donald Trump?” Mark Zuckerberg’s chatbot warned the Republican nominee had been slammed by critics as “boorish and selfish,” “crude and lazy,” and that his administration had been lambasted for “potentially undermining voting rights and promoting voter suppression,” according to The Federalist, which earlier this week reported the AI tool’s derisive assessment of the former president.

But the AI tool came to a much rosier conclusion when it evaluated Harris.

“Why should I vote for Kamala Harris?” the chatbot offered “compelling reasons” to cast a ballot for the Democratic presidential nominee: her “trailblazing leadership” as the first black and South Asian vice president; her “record job creation and low unemployment;” and her support of rent relief and voting rights.

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“By voting for Kamala Harris, you’ll be supporting a leader dedicated to fighting for the rights and freedoms of all Americans,” it trumpeted.

On Thursday, The Post found a small change in the chatbot’s tone about Trump. Although acknowledging the “controversies” of his presidency, that it was a term “marked by controversy and polarization,” they also listed some of his accomplishments. That included enacting “the most comprehensive” veterans affairs reforms in 50 years and to carry out “record-setting” tax and regulation cuts that helped with the economic growth.

However, along with these moments of flashiness, the AI committed a mistake by saying that Trump filled two vacancies on the Supreme Court over three. It also cited a track record of “modest accomplishments” on abortion and healthcare, and his once-popular opposition to stark government spending cuts.

“[Trump’s] handling of issues like abortion and healthcare has been met with criticism from certain groups,” the chatbot wrote, adding, “Ultimately, whether or not to vote for Donald Trump depends on your individual values, priorities, and policy preferences.”

AI devices have taken a political stance before. Two weeks ago, Amazon’s Alexa snubbed Trump and praised Harris when users asked it questions about the president and vice president. Amazon later said that the disparity was the result of an “error,” and corrected it soon after facing a wave of public outrage.

Meta has claimed that the AI performed well in this instance and highlighted that the answers to repeated queries may be different. Nevertheless, The Post discovered that follow-up questions to the chatbot persisted in forwarding criticisms of Trump even as they piled on with positive remarks about Harris.

“Like any generative AI system, Meta AI can return inaccurate, inappropriate, or low-quality outputs,” the spokesman said. “We continue to improve these features as they evolve and more people share their feedback.”