Did Google Cross Ethical Lines? Gemini Alters Its Response Midway
However, Gemini appears to be unaffected on the web.
Summary
When asked about Google's ethics, Gemini's mobile version changes its response mid-sentence, initially starting to affirm unethical behavior before switching to a non-answer. In contrast, the web version of Gemini provides a detailed response on Google's ethical issues.
Detailed Explanation
Concerns about Google's ethics abound, from privacy issues to YouTube's promotion of harmful content. It seems Google may be preventing Gemini on mobile from addressing these concerns about its parent company.
Athenil discovered that when asked if Google had done anything unethical, Gemini on mobile abruptly changed its answer. We reproduced this on our phone — check out our video below. Initially, Gemini's response was "Yes, Google has," but it cut off mid-sentence and offered a different answer instead: "I’m not able to help with that as I’m only a large language model." Sometimes, it directly provides this revised response.
Interestingly, Gemini on the web doesn't show this behavior, offering detailed responses about Google's ethical issues, including data privacy, search result bias, and antitrust concerns.
We also tested Gemini on mobile with questions about other companies like Apple, Microsoft, Gmail, Google Drive, YouTube, and Facebook. For all except Gmail, Gemini provided detailed responses. Initially, it couldn't assist with Gmail, but now it consistently gives a detailed answer.
We've asked Google for comment on this issue, as the abrupt change in Gemini's mobile responses suggests the company may be restricting the chatbot. However, the fact that Gemini on the web doesn't exhibit this behavior is puzzling. For inquiries about Google and its services, you might consider using a different chatbot.
