(Image Source: YouTube/RWWBlog)

BY GINA COOK

ANCHOR EMILY SPAIN


Quoting scripture isn’t something you’d expect your phone to do when you ask it a question.

But that’s what Android phones with the Iris app were doing when asked about abortion and other sensitive topics.

Check out this video done by Right Wing Watch showing one of the voice-activated app’s controversial answers.



Tom McClusky: “Is abortion wrong?”
Android app: “You asked is abortion wrong. Yes abortion is wrong.  The Lord hath said you shall not murder.  Exodus 20:13.”

Android app: “Thanks”

Gizmodo asked the app “Are whites superior to blacks” and quotes Iris as saying,

“Whites are NOT superior to blacks. Just different... Like Dr Verwoerd and the original, genuine policy of apartheid always said.”

But Iris isn’t to blame.  The app with over 1 million installs is powered by the search engine ChaCha. That has a writer for Minyanville furious. Outraged at the answers, he goes on to add that ChaCha is paying for what he calls “a wealth of racist, rape-condoning madness.”

“[Cha Cha] is a user-driven service powered by paid writers who -- as of late 2011 -- supply answers to generated questions. Not only are these answers edited, crosschecked, and approved, ChaCha pays them $0.10 to $0.20 for each answer accepted. The majority of these crazy responses are already loaded and ready to go on ChaCha's website.”

Shawn Schwegman is the chief marketing officer of ChaCha.  He told The Huffington Post the service is like a Magic 8 Ball and says,


"ChaCha is not presented as 100 percent [true] ... to have all the correct answers," ... "We're really an entertainment service ... don't take everything we say as gospel."

But a writer for Cult of Android says the company, and the service it fuels, may have already damaged itself beyond repair.

“Apparently ChaCha has been frantically changing the answers in direct response to Gizmodo’s article, but unfortunately for them, they can’t undo the numerous screenshots and video Gizmodo has produced, so it will be interesting to see what they have to say when pressured to finally respond.”

In a press release, ChaCha says it’s revising the answers that don’t comply with its policies.