Lindsey Graham puts Amazon ‘on notice’ over Alexa’s potential election interference
FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., issued a stern warning to Amazon after its virtual assistant technology, Alexa, was found to be politically biased in favor of Vice President Kamala Harris over former President Donald Trump.
Graham, the ranking member of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, told Amazon President and CEO Andrew Jassy in a letter he was putting him “on notice that I will not allow this to go unaddressed.”
On Tuesday, videos of interactions with Alexa went viral as the technology responded to queries on why someone should vote for Harris or why they should vote for Trump.
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Sen. Graham demanded an explanation from Amazon after its Alexa technology gave biased answers. (Reuters/ AP)
When Fox News Digital questioned the technology about why they should vote for Trump, Alexa said, “I cannot promote content that supports a certain political party or a specific politician.”
“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,” the Amazon technology said.
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But when it was asked why someone should vote for Harris, Alexa said, “While there are many reasons to vote for Kamala Harris, the most significant may be that she is a woman of color who has overcome numerous obstacles to become a leader in her field.”
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Former President Trump and Vice President Harris side-by-side split image. (Getty Images)
“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,” it added.
Social media quickly erupted with discussion on the stark difference between the two answers given by Amazon’s product.
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Jassy is president and CEO of Amazon. (Thos Robinson/Getty Images for The New York Times)
Amazon later said it corrected Alexa’s responses, claiming the disparity was an “error.”
“This was an error that was quickly fixed,” a spokesperson for the company told Fox News Digital on Tuesday.
Graham claimed in his letter to Jassy that the “radically different responses suggest that Amazon technology is interfering in the election in favor of one political candidate.”
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Graham has endorsed Trump in the election. (Elijah Nouvelage/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“There’s a widespread belief among conservatives that companies like yours have a distinct bias in favor of liberal causes,” he noted.
And, according to the senator, the “shocking interaction” between Alexa and users is “exhibit A of the problem” in the minds of conservatives.
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Graham told the Amazon president and CEO he expected a “prompt reply as to what happened here and what corrective actions will be taken in the future.”
Amazon did not immediately provide comment to Fox News Digital.
