Google CEO Sundar Pichai testified alone before the House Judiciary Committee Tuesday to answer questions about topics like political bias among the company’s employees. Pichai…
Google CEO Sundar Pichai testified alone before the House Judiciary Committee Tuesday to answer questions about topics like political bias among the company’s employees.
Pichai emphasized the apolitical nature of the algorithms that determine search results for Google customers and downplayed Republicans’ fears that Google employees banded together to alter results for political purposes.
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“ I know Google’s attitude, ‘the algorithm made us do it,’” Republican Ohio Rep. Steve Chabot asked Pichai early in the hearing. “But I don’t know that I buy that. How do you explain this apparent bias on Google’s part against conservative points of view, against conservative policies? Is it just the algorithm or is there more happening there?” (RELATED: Google Employees Sought To Block Breitbart From Ads, Emails Show)
“But what is important here is we use the robust methodology to reflect what is being said about any given topic at any particular time,” Pichai said. “And we try to do it objectively using a set of rubrics. It is in our interest to make sure we reflect what’s happening out there in the best objective manner possible. I can commit to you and I can assure you we do it without regards to political ideology. Our algorithms have no notion of political sentiment.”
Google CEO Sundar Pichai prepares to testify as House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) speaks before the House Judiciary Committee at the Rayburn House Office Building on December 11,2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Republican Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz pushed Pichai to explain why Google had not investigated whether Google employees had manipulated search tools or other Google products in light of communications like emails about Breitbart that leaked Monday.
