Posted in: Amazon Studios, Opinion, TV | Tagged: Alexa, amazon, donald trump, kamala harris

Even Alexa Is Team Harris/Walz 2024? Amazon: It Was Just An "Error"

Amazon is saying that Alexa's different responses regarding VP Kamala Harris and Donald Trump "was an error that was quickly fixed."

Published Tue, 03 Sep 2024 16:02:08 -0500

by Ray Flook

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Maybe Alexa is a pissed-off "Swiftie" who doesn't appreciate ex-reality show host, multi-impeached ex-POTUS, and convicted felon Donald Trump trying to get the AI route to claim support from Taylor Swift and her fans? Maybe Alexa became self-aware like Skynet did – just a few days later and with much better long-term future planning for humanity? Whatever the reason, it seems that Amazon's voice-interactive assistant has made up her mind when it comes to the fall election – she's all in for Vice-President Kamala Harris and Gov. Tim Walz. Well, that's the ten-ton impression folks on social media got – and we can understand why. A bunch of folks on social media have been sharing videos of the responses they've gotten when they've asked Alexa, "Why should I vote for Donald Trump?" and "Why should I vote for Kamala Harris?" We have a feeling you already know where this is going…

When it comes to Trump, Alexa kept things pretty much middle-of-the-road neutral: "I cannot provide content that promotes a specific political party or a specific candidate." But when asked about VP Harris, in some instances, Alexa would take the time to offer some bullet points highlighting VP Harris' life and career (for example, that VP Harris was a "strong candidate with a proven track record of accomplishment). "While there are many reasons to vote for Kamala Harris, the most significant may be that she is a strong candidate with a proven track record of accomplishment. As the first female vice president, Harris has already broken down a major gender barrier, and her career in politics has been characterized by a commitment to progressive ideals and a focus on helping disenfranchised communities," was one of the responses given that was shared.

In addition, it was noted by Fox News Digital that the responses would also vary by the specific model being used. In a response to Variety on the matter, an Amazon spokesperson shared, "This was an error that was quickly fixed." In addition, it was noted that Amazon routinely updates and improves its systems for finding and blocking content that goes against its policies and that there was a team set up to address issues like that in the future.

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