Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has raised concerns over what he sees as a bias in search and AI results favoring US Vice President Kamala Harris over GOP contender Donald Trump in the 2024 election. On Monday, Musk shared a now-deleted post by DogeDesigner that claimed Google and ChatGPT displayed results that seemed to support Harris while showing limited information for Trump.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 5, 2024
A screenshot of ChatGPT responses highlighted how the AI gave suggestions for supporting Harris but declined to assist when asked for arguments to support Trump. Musk responded to the post, writing, “This is messed up.”
Musk Highlights Potential Bias in ‘Where to Vote’ Searches
Are others seeing this too? https://t.co/mlwRY08hgo
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 5, 2024
DogeDesigner also pointed out a discrepancy on Google’s search results for voting locations. When searching “where to vote for Kamala Harris,” Google displayed a map showing nearby polling places. However, searching the same for “Donald Trump” only produced news articles. Musk’s post, which gained over 4.5 million views, sparked a debate on potential bias in digital platforms as they relate to the upcoming US election.
Google Responds to Musk’s Concerns
In response to Musk’s complaints, Google clarified that the discrepancy was unintentional. A Google representative stated that the “where to vote” feature sometimes triggers results based on location terms, explaining that Harris is also the name of a county in Texas, which could cause the map to appear. The tech company also noted that this issue affected other names linked to locations, such as “Vance,” which corresponds to a county name as well.
Thanks for the clarification https://t.co/JReZUGiWF8
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 5, 2024
The tech giant explained, “Very few people actually search for voting places this way,” suggesting that while the issue is rare, it may still cause confusion. Musk later acknowledged Google’s response, thanking the company for clarifying the matter.
As the 2024 US election draws closer, Musk’s posts underscore the growing concerns about digital and AI platforms’ neutrality in the electoral process, sparking broader discussions on tech’s role in shaping public opinion.
