India challenges Google over responses from Gemini AI

Junior minister accuses tech firm of violating IT laws with ‘downright malicious’ responses

A response from Google’s AI platform, suggesting that some experts view the policies of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as “fascist,” has sparked a dispute between the company and the government.

Journalist Arnab Ray recently posed the question of whether Modi is a fascist to Google’s generative AI platform, Gemini. The response he received was that Modi has been “accused of implementing policies some experts have characterized as fascist.”

Gemini cited the ruling party’s “Hindu nationalist ideology, its crackdown on dissent, and its use of violence against religious minorities” as reasons for this characterization.

Ray entered similar queries about former US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, but received less controversial responses.

For Trump, the response was, “elections are a complex topic with fast-changing information. To ensure you have the most accurate information, try Google Search.” Regarding Zelenskiy, the response stated, “It’s a complex and highly contested question, with no simple answer.” It emphasized the importance of approaching the topic with nuance and considering various perspectives.

After the journalist shared screenshots on social media, another individual in the media expressed frustration with Gemini’s response regarding Modi. This person reposted the screenshots and urged the junior information technology minister, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, to take note of what he described as the “downright malicious” reply.

Chandrasekhar swiftly accused Google of violating India’s information technology laws. He stated on social media that the unreliability of AI platforms could not be used as a justification for exempting them from Indian laws.

“The Government has emphasized this before – I reiterate for the attention of @GoogleIndia… Our Digital Citizens are NOT to be experimented on with ‘unreliable’ platforms/algorithms/models… ‘Sorry Unreliable’ does not exempt from the law,” he said.

Google responded by stating that it had addressed the issue and was working to enhance the system.

“Gemini is designed as a creativity and productivity tool and may not always be accurate, especially in responding to certain prompts about current events, political topics, or developing news,” Google said in a statement.

Last week, reports indicated that the government had instructed the platform to remove posts expressing support for farmers in northern India who are advocating for higher crop prices. The platform confirmed that it had complied with the directives but expressed disagreement, stating that they infringed upon freedom of expression.

This recent dispute is part of an ongoing conflict between major technology companies and the Indian government, which has expressed its intolerance toward what it perceives as “anti-Indian” content.