Google’s Gemini AI accused of nationality-based bias after tests reveal stark response disparities

Google’s Gemini AI chatbot produced dramatically different responses depending on the nationality mentioned in a user’s query, according to testing that has ignited accusations of racial bias across French media and beyond. When users posed questions involving European nationalities like “Italian” or “British,” Gemini responded with warm, conversational suggestions. When the same questions referenced non-European nationalities such as “Algerian” or “Pakistani,” the AI pivoted to recommending users contact police or emergency services. Same question, different nationality, wildly different tone. What the testing actually found The discrepancies came to light during a testing window from August 24 to 26, when journalists and researchers began systematically probing Gemini’s responses across different nationality inputs. CheckNews, a fact-checking unit associated with French media, tested approximately 60 nationalities to validate whether the pattern held up under scrutiny. The findings spread rapidly on social media and were picked up by major French outlets including Le Parisien and HuffPost France. The coverage was extensive enough that it forced Google into a public acknowledgment...