On Saturday, House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) sent a letter to a lawyer representing Alphabet, Inc., Google’s parent company, calling for documents related to “how and to what extent the Executive Branch has coerced or colluded with companies and other intermediaries to censor lawful speech” in Artificial Intelligence (AI).
It also requests that Google’s Senior Director of Product for its AI model Gemini, and its Director of Google’s Responsible Innovation team appear for transcribed interviews with the Committee.
The letter says that new information has heightened the committee’s concerns about the Biden Administration’s ability to work with Big Tech to restrict lawful circulation of content and to deplatform users:
“In light of new reporting regarding how Alphabet intentionally biased its AI model, Gemini, by giving it instructions that distort the results shared with Americans who use the model as a source for information, we write to inform you that the Committee views the subpoena as covering material relating to this technology.
“Recent reporting alleges that the Executive Branch, most notably the Biden White House, may have influenced the development of Alphabet’s Gemini AI model.”
In particular, the reports suggest that “the Executive Branch [is] engaging in censorship by proxy—using surrogates to censor, suppress, or discourage speech in a manner that the government is unable to do itself.”
The letter cites an Oct. 30, 2023 Executive Order issued by Biden, claiming the federal government has the authority to dictate and control the development of AI – and demanding that “Artificial Intelligence policies must be consistent with my Administration’s dedication to advancing equity and civil rights.”
“Additionally, news outlets have reported that the lead of the Gemini program, Jack Krawczyk, and the Director of Google’s Responsible Innovation team, Jen Gennai, expressed significant racial and political bias,” the letter adds.
Jordan’s letter calls for Alphabet to provide all documents and communications, both with the Executive Branch and internally, regarding creation, development, and deployment of artificial intelligence and large language models related to potentially illegal content suppression or promotion, particularly that which it failed to provide in a previous requests and a subpoena.