House Republicans, led by Representative Jim Jordan (R-OH), are demanding transparency from Google regarding the involvement of the U.S. government in the development of its AI chatbot, Gemini. The House Judiciary Committee, expressing concerns about the influence of federal entities on Gemini’s development, has called for all communications between Google, Alphabet, and government agencies to be provided by March 17. Committee Chair Jim Jordan is particularly alarmed by reports that Gemini adheres to guidelines from the Biden White House emphasizing “equity” in AI systems, potentially violating the First Amendment.
The committee’s letter to Google raises questions about Alphabet’s history of censoring First Amendment-protected speech at the behest of government agencies. Concerns have been mounting over Gemini’s controversial generative AI service, which faced backlash for producing images that seemed to erase white people from historical depictions. The market value of Google plummeted by $90 billion amid the controversies surrounding Gemini. The AI’s alleged bias against white individuals sparked criticism, with Elon Musk pointing out the problematic views of Gemini product lead Jack Krawczyk, who has a history of expressing disdain for “white privilege” on social media.
Gemini became infamous for generating racially biased images and even defending controversial positions such as pedophilia and Joseph Stalin. The controversy emerged when users discovered that the AI refused to generate images of white individuals, providing more racially “diverse” portrayals instead. The concern raised by the House Judiciary Committee extends beyond offensive outputs, emphasizing the danger of manipulating historical truth. Images of figures like George Washington portrayed as non-white raise broader questions about the potential impact of biased AI on reality. Conservatives are closely monitoring the situation, emphasizing the need to preserve free speech and prevent undue government influence in AI development.