Citizens shouldn’t need AI to tell them how to vote

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Amazon’s recent update to Alexa, which focused on increasing Alexa’s intelligence and factual accuracy, unintentionally resulted in Alexa favoring Democratic nominee Kamala Harris over Republican nominee Donald Trump. Pro-Trump commentators on social media have been sharing authentic videos in support of those allegations, ultimately forcing Amazon to correct the alleged bias and to publicly state that it was “an error that was quickly fixed.”

Watch the above video as Straight Arrow News contributor Adrienne Lawrence reviews the incident and argues that Americans across the political spectrum really shouldn’t be taking voting advice from an AI software program in the first place.

The following is an excerpt from the above video:

Whether it’s Alexa, Siri, or some other device, AI-backed voice assistants are everywhere. I personally avoid them, but many people rely on them for everything from restaurant recommendations to basic factual intel. But relying on a voice assistant for advice on presidential candidates? Now, that is going too far. When I learned that the right was up in arms because Amazon’s Alexa favored Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris over Donald Trump, my first question was, why? Why would anyone ask Alexa who to vote for? That is the most disturbing aspect of this situation.

I am not bothered that a commercially sold AI voice assistant rattles off positive facts about one candidate all while claiming not to have any intel or be able to speak on the other candidate. I don’t expect a conglomerate like Amazon to be wholly invested in protecting my right to vote and ensuring that I get it right. No, no, I am disgusted by the fact that members of our society are looking to AI to tell them who to elect as our next leader. That is beyond terrifying. It’s also further evidence that too many Americans are still not taking the right to vote seriously.