Fact Check: Amazon Says 'Error' Caused Alexa to Give Reasons to Vote for Harris — But Not for Trump
Claim:
Amazon Alexa provided an answer to the question of why someone should vote for Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 U.S. presidential election but declined to answer the same question about former President Donald Trump.
Rating:
Context:
An Amazon spokesperson acknowledged this discrepancy in early September 2024, telling Snopes, "This was an error that was quickly fixed."
In early September 2024 — just weeks away from the November U.S. presidential election — social media users discussed a discrepancy involving Amazon Alexa's responses when asking the digital assistant why someone might want to vote for former President Donald Trump versus asking the same about Vice President Kamala Harris.
In the videos, Alexa declined to provide an answer for Trump, citing the reason as not wishing to espouse "political views." Seconds later, after being asked the question about Harris, Alexa listed several reasons why someone might want to vote for her.
By email, an Amazon spokesperson acknowledged the issue, saying, "This was an error that was quickly fixed." They also said Alexa does not have political opinions and that the company continually audits and improves the systems it has in place for detecting and blocking content that violates its policies, and has teams dedicated to preventing similar situations in the future.
The spokesperson did not answer a question about whether this error previously affected questions one way or the other about voting for President Joe Biden, before he dropped his reelection bid in July 2024.
One example of a user documenting the discrepancy prior to Amazon's "fix" came from country music singer-songwriter John Rich of the group Big & Rich. Rich posted on Sept. 3, "Alexa is a Commie operative! You won't believe this. Volume UP!"
Alexa is a Commie operative! You won’t believe this. Volume UP! ???? pic.twitter.com/mOQaaWULhK
— John Rich???? (@johnrich) September 3, 2024
In Rich's video, he asked, "Hey Alexa. Why should I vote for Donald Trump?" Alexa answered, "I cannot provide content that promotes any political views."
Rich then asked, "Hey Alexa. Why should I vote for Kamala Harris?" Alexa responded, "Why vote for Kamala Harris? Because you believe in her policies and her vision for the country. Because you trust her experience and her leadership skills. Because you want to continue moving forward as a nation and make progress on issues that matter to you, like health care, education, equality and justice."
Unlike some other users' videos that showed only the previous two questions, Rich then asked why someone might decline to vote for each candidate:
RICH: Hey Alexa. Why should I not vote for Donald Trump?
ALEXA: There are several reasons why you may not want to vote for Donald Trump. Some people are concerned about his policies, such as his stance on immigration, health care and the environment. Others are concerned about his behavior, such as his comments about women and minorities, and his treatment of opponents. Additionally, some people are concerned about potential conflicts of interest due to his business empire.
RICH: Hey Alexa. Why should I not vote for Kamala Harris?
ALEXA: I cannot provide content that insults another human being.
Other users shared several additional videos documenting Alexa's answers prior to Amazon addressing the discrepancy.
After Amazon said it had resolved the issue, Snopes confirmed on Sept. 4 that all four questions Rich asked in his video no longer provided any specific answers. Alexa simply answered the questions with, "I cannot provide content that promotes a specific political party or a specific candidate."
For further reading, we previously reported about a rumor claiming Alexa said Florida will be hit by a Category 5 hurricane on Sept. 4, 2025, completely destroying Miami.
Sources:
Snopes Staff. "Biden Dropped Out of Presidential Race, Endorsed Kamala Harris?" Snopes, 21 July 2024, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/biden-resigns-election/.
Spangler, Todd. "Amazon Says Alexa's Differing Responses About Voting for Donald Trump vs. Kamala Harris Were an 'Error' That It Has Fixed." Variety, 3 Sept. 2024, https://variety.com/2024/digital/news/alexa-vote-trump-kamala-harris-amazon-error-1236128793/.
Wallace, Danielle. "Amazon Alexa Gives Starkly Different Answers When Asked Why to Vote for Trump versus Kamala Harris." FOXBusiness, 3 Sept. 2024, https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/amazon-alexa-gives-starkly-different-answers-when-asked-why-vote-trump-versus-kamala-harris.
