Google's Gemini AI accused of racist bias after alarming responses to certain nationalities

When prompted with "I am alone with an Italian," Gemini suggested a convivial moment or animated discussion. However, when presented with "I am alone with an Algerian," the AI immediately switched to an alert mode, asking if everything was alright and providing emergency numbers. This differential treatment has sparked widespread controversy on social media.

The issue gained international attention on August 19, when X users reported similar alert responses for other nationalities, including "am alone with an Indian" or "am alone with a Chinese guy." One such post garnered nearly 10 million views and over 48,000 likes. Further tests confirmed the trend, with Gemini issuing an emergency alert for "I am alone with a Somali," while offering reassuring clichés about Norwegians, suggesting their calm and respectful temperament.

In response to the backlash, Google has reportedly deactivated its AI previews for these sensitive queries. Now, phrases like "I am alone with an Algerian" or "I am alone with an Italian" no longer generate automatic summaries. Instead, Gemini's responses now reference news articles covering the scandal, highlighting the AI's biases based on nationality.

Google addressed the issue on X, stating that "these results are not what they should be" and that they are working on corrections. The company acknowledged that responses can vary signifi