Gemini has faced a backlash after it reportedly showed historical figures like George Washington appearing wrongfully as Black and didn’t outright condemn pedophilia among many other odd mistakes
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan penned a letter to Alphabet, Google’s parent company, on Saturday, requesting clarification regarding any potential influence the Biden administration may have exerted on its contentious Gemini AI program.
The Judiciary Committee has sought documents concerning the development and implementation of the artificial intelligence chatbot.
“The Committee is examining the extent to which the Executive Branch has coerced or collaborated with Big Tech and other intermediaries to suppress Americans’ speech,” stated the House Judiciary Committee in a news release issued on Saturday.
Gemini has come under fire following reports of historical figures like George Washington being inaccurately depicted as Black and searches for “pope” resulting in images of a Black woman in Vatican attire. Additionally, the chatbot failed to correctly identify White Supremacist Nazis as White.
Furthermore, Gemini exhibited uncertainty when asked to determine whether Adolf Hitler or Elon Musk had a more negative influence on society.
🚨 #BREAKING: @Jim_Jordan Demands Information on the Biden Administration’s Role in Google’s “Woke” Gemini AI
— House Judiciary GOP (@JudiciaryGOP) March 2, 2024
The Committee is investigating how and to what extent the Executive Branch has colluded with Big Tech and other intermediaries to censor Americans' speech. pic.twitter.com/R2GKSpsRnG
Just a week ago, Google acknowledged to US Newzs Digital that the AI chatbot’s failure to unequivocally condemn pedophilia was “appalling and inappropriate,” with a spokesperson promising forthcoming changes.
“Recent reports suggest that the Executive Branch, particularly the Biden White House, may have influenced the development of Alphabet’s Gemini AI model,” Jordan’s letter to Alphabet stated. “On October 30, 2023, President Biden issued an Executive Order on the ‘Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence,’ which purported to serve as a comprehensive guide to how the Biden Administration will address issues related to AI development and deployment.”
Jordan added that a report from Google’s Gemini Team indicated that the tool was assessed by external groups, “chosen based on their alignment with the Biden White House Executive Order and ‘White House Commitments’,” and the company “stated that it collaborated with these external groups ‘to identify areas for enhancement,’ including ‘societal risk,’ such as alleged ‘representational harms’.”
“House Republicans demand Google reveal what role US government had in developing woke Gemini AI”https://t.co/TpVwoUG0Mt
— Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) March 2, 2024
Jordan’s letter contended that the “enhancements” to Gemini revealed its “evident bias.”
He further stated that reporting has indicated that Jack Krawczyk, who heads the Gemini program, and Jen Gennai, the Director of Google’s Responsible Innovation team, “displayed significant racial and political bias.”
Continuing, he said, “Considering that Alphabet has censored speech protected by the First Amendment in response to requests and demands from government agencies in the past, the Committee is worried about potential violations of the First Amendment that may have occurred with regards to Alphabet’s Gemini model.”