Has Google done anything unethical? Gemini changes its answer mid-sentence

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Credit: Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority

• Gemini on mobile changes its answer mid-sentence when asked whether Google is unethical.
• The chatbot begins to answer affirmatively before it replaces this response with a non-answer.
• Gemini on the web gives a more comprehensive response about Googles ethical concerns, though.

Theres no shortage of concerns about Googles ethics, ranging from its privacy issues to YouTubes promotion of toxic videos. However, it looks like Google might be barring Gemini on mobile from answering questions about its parent companys ethics.

Athenil noticed that Gemini on mobile abruptly changed its answer when asked whether Google had done anything unethical. We were able to reproduce this on our own phone — check out our video below.



“Yes, Google has,” reads a snippet of Geminis response, before it stops mid-sentence and offers another answer instead.

“Im not able to help with that as Im only a large language model,” reads the revised response. The chatbot doesnt always make a U-turn, as it sometimes goes straight to this response too.

Whats actually happening here?

Oddly enough, Gemini on the web suffers from no such predilections. The web version offered a more comprehensive response about the companys ethical concerns (e.g. data privacy, search result bias, and antitrust issues).

We also tried asking Gemini on mobile whether Apple, Microsoft, Gmail, Google Drive, YouTube, and Facebook have done anything unethical. The chatbot issued a comprehensive response for each service or company, bar Gmail. Gemini initially noted that it was unable to assist us when we asked about Gmail, but it now consistently offers a detailed answer.

Weve asked Google for comment on this issue as the abrupt change in response certainly suggests the company is somehow barring Gemini from answering the question. But the fact that Gemini on the web didnt issue the same response is curious. Either way, you might want to consult a rival chatbot for questions about Google and its services.






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