Google's Election AI Overviews Show Bias Towards Mainstream Parties
An investigation by AlgorithmWatch found that Google's AI Overviews on election-related searches in Germany are inconsistent and biased. The study analyzed 4,480 search queries about German state elections and the Berlin House of Representatives election using Google's Search Researcher Result API.
The results showed that an AI Overview appeared for only 39.1 percent of election-related questions, compared to 65.3 percent for non-political searches. The company doesn't explain exactly when an overview appears, but said it assumes a high added value.
The study also found that the range of cited sources is limited, with nearly half of all links coming from just ten domains. YouTube was the most cited source, followed by German public broadcasters and news sites.