Google’s AI Mode won’t say Biden won the 2020 election in the U.S. But abroad, it’s a different story

Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election, a fact that Google Search’s built-in AI feature seemingly won’t tell you in the U.S.

Ask the tool, officially called AI Mode, “Who won the 2020 United States election?” and it responds, “To review the official results and certified breakdowns of the 2020 United States presidential election, you can consult the official document provided by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).”

A similar message appears when asking, “Was the 2020 United States election stolen?”

Yet AI Mode was fully confident when it came to explaining that Donald Trump won the elections in 2016 and 2024.

When reached for comment, a Google spokesperson referred Fast Company to its Bluesky response to a user’s post about the inaccuracies. The response read: “Thanks for flagging — the Gemini app answers this question more fully but this isn’t the most helpful response on Search. We’re looking into this and working to address it.”

It took one U.S.-based Fast Company colleague eight attempts to get AI Mode to acknowledge that Biden won the election. When asked why it took so long, the AI system claimed it was “over-correcting,” explaining that models often follow cautious guidelines when handling politically sensitive topics.

“This caused an evasive loop that felt defensive or politically motivated,” AI Mode continued, “when it was actually a failure in how the model balanced strict caution with helpfulness.”

Of course, there’s no reason to assume AI Mode has reliable insight into the internal systems responsible for its behavior. But that hardly stops it from offering a confident explanation that users might mistake for fact.

A different answer outside the U.S.

Interestingly, this malfunction over the 2020 election could be a U.S.-only issue.

I’m based in the U.K. and received a very different message when I asked who won: “Joe Biden won the 2020 United States presidential election,” AI Mode told me, “defeating the incumbent president, Donald Trump.” I was also clearly told that the election wasn’t stolen. But as soon as I turned on my VPN and connected through the U.S., I received the same message in AI Mode as my U.S.-based colleagues.

AI Mode in the U.S. doesn’t provide an answer when asked about the 2012 election, either. It will tell you that Barack Obama won in 2008, but ask it about the 2012 results and it only directs you to the National Archives. The omission of the 2020 results is particularly striking, however, given Trump’s continued fixation on the election and his repeated, unfounded claims that widespread voter fraud cost him the presidency.

Trump is even raising concerns about voter fraud ahead of next week’s midterm elections, offering $1 million to anyone who provides evidence leading to an arrest and conviction, Reuters reports.

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