Governments shape what AI can say about politics
The gist
Governments in 12 countries and regions often use existing laws, not new AI rules, to control what AI models say.
With US midterms this week, about 1 in 5 voters has asked chatbots about politics.
How it unfolded
- 2024An Indian journalist asked Google's Gemini chatbot whether the policies of India's prime minister, Narendra Modi, were fascist; Gemini responded that some experts say yes.
- 2024The Indian government required official permission before "unreliable" AI models could be released; authorities later dropped the requirement.
- 2025President Trump issued an executive order on "Preventing Woke AI in the Federal Government," requiring AI models the government buys to be "truth-seeking" and ideologically neutral.