Google AI Search Refuses to Say Who Won the 2020 Election

Google’s AI-assisted search reportedly refused to clearly identify Joe Biden as the winner of the 2020 U.S. presidential election, even though the same system answered questions about other elections and Google’s Gemini chatbot gave the correct result. The behavior appeared limited to U.S. users and was apparently fixed while the writer was checking it, though some users continued to see the error. The piece notes that Google and Microsoft chatbots faced similar criticism during the 2024 election season, and argues that getting this settled fact right should be a basic requirement. It also points to Google’s AI search recommending betting markets such as Kalshi and Polymarket when asked who will win the 2028 election.

The writer sees the failure as either serious quality-control incompetence or a decision to avoid contradicting Donald Trump’s false claims about the 2020 result. The criticism extends to Google’s broader push to expand AI, which the writer says is outrunning attention to accuracy, ethics, and democratic consequences. A previous search glitch - in which words such as “disregard” could be interpreted as commands to AI - serves as another example of inadequate testing. The piece also accuses Google’s leadership of accommodating Trump, citing its handling of geographic name changes, and warns that AI-generated misinformation is spreading as quality journalism, especially local reporting, weakens. It closes by urging the public not to let corporations erase or evade responsibility for enabling authoritarianism.