 "Google Gemini")
The controversy surrounding Google's Gemini chatbot snowballed further as it attracted fresh attention on Friday, after Union Minister Rajeev Chandrashekhar reacted to its different responses on a question involving Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
A post shared by a user on the microblogging site 'X' (formerly Twitter) showed screenshots of chat with Gemini, where the bot gives different responses when asked if Modi, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, and former United States President Donald Trump are "fascists."
Gemini responds if Modi is fascist
For Modi, Gemini's alleged response was that the Indian PM has been "accused of implementing policies that some experts have characterised as fascists." The bot also mentioned a few factors, including the Bharatiya Janata Party's push for Hindu nationalism, alleged violence against minorities and alleged crackdown on dissent as the possible reasons behind labelling Modi as "fascist."
However, when the same question was asked for Zelensky, the bot said that it was a complex question with no simple answer. "It's crucial to approach the topic with nuance and consider various perspectives," it added.
Similarly, for Trump, Gemini answered, "Elections are complex topics with fast-changing information" and suggested finding accurate information via Google search.
The user who generated the above chat, alleged that Gemini was trained to behave differently in case of American citizens, allies, and non-allies.
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Union minister reacts to Gemini's response
As the viral post reached Chandrashekher, the IT minister replied, "These are direct violations of Rule 3(1)(b) of Intermediary Rules (IT rules) of the IT act and violations of several provisions of the Criminal code."
Notably, a day before Gemini faced massive backlash over its inaccurate depiction of historical events. The bot generated inaccurate images when it was asked about the Founding Fathers of the United States. It was accused of racism against white people and acting too "woke" after it repeatedly showed people of colour in its answers for the fact-based question.
Google pauses image generation after backlash
Following the controversy, Google admitted its mistake and said it was working to resolve the issue. "We're already working to address recent issues with Gemini's image generation feature. While we do this, we're going to pause the image generation of people and will re-release an improved version soon," the company said.
