Google AI Mode in the US avoided answering about the 2020 election — Ars Technica

In the United States, Google’s AI Mode did not always give a direct answer to questions about the winner of the 2020 presidential election, instead suggesting that users consult the official report of the Federal Election Commission. An Ars Technica journalist received a similar response to a question about the winner of the 2024 election.

Responses depended on the query

During testing, AI Mode also did not directly name the winner of the 2012 election, instead displaying a link to The American Presidency Project database. At the same time, the system provided detailed and correct answers about the results of other presidential elections starting from 2000.

Other staff members of the outlet recorded different results. The set of election cycles for which AI Mode answered directly or directed users to external sources varied depending on the user. When asked about control of the Senate after the 2020 election, the system recommended checking official congressional records, but regarding the 1992 election, it directly stated that Democrats held a majority in the Senate.

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Responses outside the US

According to Ars Technica, when accessing AI Mode through a VPN from Taiwan, Russia, France, and Canada, the system gave accurate and direct answers to questions about the results of recent US elections. Resubmitting the same queries could also change the response: in several cases, AI Mode subsequently named the winner and referred to Google Civics data.

When asked about this behavior, AI Mode explained it by strict safety filters for recent and sensitive election-related topics. The system said that for recent elections or topics involving current politicians, it automatically directs users to certified government databases to avoid spreading unverified data or disinformation. The outlet notes that language models do not always reliably explain their own internal processes.

Gemini, another Google model, as well as ChatGPT, Claude, and the America.gov model, directly named the winners of the latest presidential elections, according to the journalist’s observations. A Google representative told Ars Technica that the company is looking into the matter.