Google is facing criticism after users reported that the search engine is refusing to fill in autocomplete results about the failed assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.
The search engine giant’s autocomplete system ignored any references to the July 13 event, which has sparked outrage and allegations that Google is manipulating search outcomes favoring the upcoming presidential election.
Curiously, the screenshots taken from Google exhibited search suggestions linked to historic events, such as ex-President Ford’s and Ronald Reagan’s unsuccessful assassinations, along with the triggering assassination of Archduke Ferdinand, which initiated World War I, and more. The attempted assassination of Donald Trump was conspicuously missing.
The term “assassination attempt trump” turned up void on Google, according to multiple users’ accounts.
Donald Trump Jr. responded fervently via X, exclaiming, “Big Tech is trying to interfere in the election AGAIN to help Kamala Harris. We all know this is intentional election interference from Google. Truly despicable.”
The search engine giant denied any targeted action on their predictive results. A spokesperson stated, “No manual action was exercised on these predictions.” They further elaborated that Google’s systems are designed to filter autocomplete predictions connected to politically violent incidents, which had been functioning exactly as expected before the horrifying act took place. “We are striving to update our systems in order to accommodate such incidents more effectively,” they added.
It’s not just Google that is being questioned on its handling of important news. Meta’s AI said that it doesn’t always have up-to-date information and so couldn’t answer the question about President Donald Trump’s assassination attempt but could answer questions related to Vice President Kamala Harris’ Presidential campaign which was more recent than the attack on President Trump.
As the US presidential election approaches, it’s becoming clear that AI chatbots are steering clear of political discussions and breaking news, showing a hesitance to engage with such topics outside of the basics.
Big Tech companies are at the forefront of pushing for an AI revolution, aiming to integrate their AI systems deeply into everyday digital experiences. However, as these AI tools become more embedded in platforms like search engines and social media, their inability to handle politically sensitive content raises important questions about information accessibility and bias.
Such omissions could potentially influence public awareness and opinion, particularly in the politically charged environment of an upcoming presidential election. This incident has sparked a broader debate about the role of AI in filtering and shaping political information.
