Google has officially announced that it is restricting the types of queries users can make to its Gemini AI chatbot regarding elections.
This confirmation was made in a blog post viewed by News.ng on Wednesday. Consequently, the prominent search engine has initiated limitations on searches related to elections conducted through Gemini in any market worldwide.
News.ng has learned that this policy rollout occurred in India, where elections are scheduled to commence in April.
This change in India occurred shortly after the government issued a directive requiring tech companies to obtain government approval before launching any new AI models.
Google’s spokesperson emphasized that this recent action aligns with the plans disclosed last year regarding the company’s approach to handling elections.
“As we shared last December, in preparation for the many elections happening around the world in 2024 and out of an abundance of caution, we’re restricting the types of election-related queries for which Gemini will return responses,” they stated.
Queries about political parties, officials, or candidates now result in a pre-written response from Gemini.
Specifically, when asked about a particular political party or candidate, Gemini displays the message: “I’m still learning how to answer this question. In the meantime, try Google Search.”
“Out of an abundance of caution on such an important topic, we have begun to roll out restrictions on the types of election-related queries for which Gemini will return responses.
“We take our responsibility for providing high-quality information for these types of queries seriously, and are continuously working to improve our protections,” Google declared in a blog post linked to the move in India earlier today.
Governments globally have taken steps to regulate technology in response to worries about disinformation fueled by advancements in generative AI.
In recent weeks, India has notified tech companies that they must seek permission before deploying or testing “unreliable” AI tools.
In February, Google issued an apology following the erroneous creation of an image depicting a black man as one of the US Founding Fathers by their newly launched AI image generator.
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