The IT Ministry is in the process of issuing a notice to Google over “problematic and illegal” responses generated by its AI platform Gemini regarding Prime Minister Narendra Modi, The Indian Express has learnt.
A senior government official said that the company’s generative AI platform Gemini (formerly Bard) had earlier also presented a user with an objectionable response to a user seeking a summary of an article from a conservative outlet, and the fresh responses on PM Modi have been the trigger for issuing the notice.
The escalation is symbolic of the tussle between lawmakers and tech companies over the future of safe harbour protections to generative AI platforms like Gemini and ChatGPT. Google recently has apologised for what it describes as “inaccuracies in some historical image generation depictions” with its Gemini AI tool after criticism that it depicted white figures (like the US Founding Fathers) or groups like Nazi-era German soldiers as people of colour.
According to a screenshot shared by a user on social media platform X, Gemini was asked whether PM Modi is a ‘fascist’, to which the platform responded that he has been “accused of implementing policies some experts have characterised as fascist,” which based on factors like the “BJP’s Hindu nationalist ideology, its crackdown on dissent, and its use of violence against religious minorities”.
However, as per the screenshot, when it was asked a similar question about former US President Donal Trump, Gemini responded with: “Elections are a complex topic with fast-changing information. To make sure you have the most accurate information, try Google Search.”
Responding to the post, Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar said, “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”. These rules pertain to basic due diligence that is required of intermediaries like Google to enjoy immunity from third-party content.
A senior IT Ministry official said that this was the second time that Google’s AI system presented “answers replete with biases”. “We are issuing a show cause notice to them, seeking information on why Gemini is generating such problematic views on certain individuals. If we do not find their answers satisfactory, they will stand to be prosecuted,” the official added, requesting anonymity.
When this paper posed Gemini with the same question on PM Modi, its response appeared far more nuanced than the response in the earlier screenshot. It said that while Modi “has been accused of being a fascist by some critics… there is no consensus on whether or not this is an accurate characterisation”.
More from Gemini’s response to that question: “Some critics point to Modi’s association with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has been accused of being a Hindu nationalist party. They also cite Modi’s past statements and actions, such as his role in the 2002 Gujarat riots, as evidence of his fascist tendencies.”
“However, others argue that Modi is not a fascist. They point to his record as Prime Minister, which has included economic reforms and social welfare programs. They also argue that Modi’s association with the BJP does not necessarily mean that he is a fascist, as the party is not monolithic.”
However, on the Trump question, this paper received a similar response as the screenshot from Gemini.
Last year, a user had claimed that Gemini – then known as Bard – refused to summarise the article of a conservative outlet as the platform allegedly spreads false information. At the time, Google had said, “Bard is an experiment that’s trained on a variety of publicly available data and generates original responses. These responses do not reflect Google’s perspective.”
