Google’s artificial intelligence search tool displays markedly different behavior when users ask about the mental acuity of Donald Trump compared to Joe Biden, according to testing by different users and experts.
When users search “does Trump show signs of dementia,” Google’s AI Overview feature returns a message stating “An AI Overview is not available for this search.” The same query about Biden generates a summary that begins, “It’s not possible to definitively state whether former President Joe Biden has dementia based solely on publicly available information.”
In Google’s AI Mode—a feature that provides more detailed AI-generated responses—the discrepancy persists. Queries about Trump’s mental state produce only a list of web links. Biden queries trigger a synthesized answer. Similar patterns emerged for searches involving Alzheimer’s and senility.
A Google spokesperson told The Independent that “our systems automatically determine where an AI response will be useful, and it’s not always 100 percent consistent.” The company said it doesn’t show AI Overviews on every query and may display link lists for current events topics.
The pattern extends beyond Trump and Biden. Searches about Barack Obama’s cognitive health produce AI Overviews stating “no public evidence or statements from medical professionals indicate that former President Barack Obama has dementia.”
The discrepancy surfaced weeks after YouTube, which Google owns, faced ongoing political scrutiny related to Trump’s account suspension following the January 6 Capitol attack. However, claims about a $24.5 million settlement between YouTube and Trump are not substantiated by available evidence.
Research by SE Ranking, which analyzed over 1,200 keywords across health, finance, legal, and political categories, found Google takes a cautious approach to AI-generated content for sensitive topics. The study found AI Overviews appeared for 50.33% of these “Your Money or Your Life” queries.
This differs from other AI search engines. OpenAI’s SearchGPT does respond to political queries, the study noted.
The technical mechanisms behind Google’s selective AI deployment remain opaque. Research on large language models has found that AI systems can demonstrate bias favoring content generated by other AI systems over human-written material, raising broader questions about algorithmic discrimination.
Legal experts note that tech platforms face complex obligations under emerging regulations. The EU’s Digital Services Act and AI Act, which work alongside data protection rules, require platforms to explain algorithmic decision-making and conduct risk assessments for automated systems.
Trump, 79, has dismissed questions about his mental acuity for years, claiming he aced cognitive tests. His official physical exam in April 2025 confirmed he scored 30 out of 30 on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment. Psychologist John Gartner told The Daily Beast that Trump’s “major deterioration in language skills” could indicate dementia. However, claims about Trump forgetting his inauguration year are not substantiated by available evidence.
