Kamala Harris uses flower analogy to explain social media algorithms while discussing AI, midterms
Former Vice President Kamala Harris used yellow and pink flowers to explain how social media algorithms can repeatedly feed users similar content, arguing that the technology can influence what people see online.
Harris made the remarks during an appearance on "Off Air with Big Boy" after host Big Boy asked about AI, TikTok, Instagram and the role personalized algorithms could play in shaping how Americans consume information, including ahead of the midterm elections.
"There is a part of this that is about understanding that, you know, if you keep seeing the same thing over and over again, know that you are being targeted," Harris said.
"Because you looked at it the first time, they're just going to keep sending it to you, which means they're trying to dumb people down with the assumption that people don't have any interest beyond what they've already seen," she continued.
Then-Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago, Illinois, on Monday, Aug. 19, 2024. (Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Harris, who previously played a leading role in the Biden administration's work on artificial intelligence, continued with a colorful example.
"The algorithm's suggesting I have no more interest — because I'm looking at this yellow flower, I'm only interested in yellow flowers, as though my brain can't handle the fact that there may be a pink flower that I might be interested in looking at," Harris said.
"Part of it is understanding how the algorithm is manipulating us and figuring out how we're going to psych it out a bit," she added.
Harris' explanation drew a mocking response from Fox News hosts, including Sean Hannity.
"What was that?" Hannity said while reacting to the soundbite.
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Former Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at the Emerge 20th Anniversary Gala in San Francisco, California, on April 30, 2025. (CAMILLE COHEN/AFP via Getty Images)
Hannity's guest, Fox News host Jimmy Failla, joked that Harris thinks "AI is Allen Iverson from the Philadelphia 76ers."
Harris, the Democratic Party's 2024 presidential nominee, has not said whether she will seek the White House again in 2028.
She has faced criticism in the past over her explanations of artificial intelligence, including remarks she made while serving as vice president in 2023.
"AI is kind of a fancy thing," Harris said at the time. "First of all, it's two letters. It means artificial intelligence, but ultimately what it is is it's about machine learning."
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Former Vice President Kamala Harris is seen as a guest on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on July 31, 2025. (Scott Kowalchyk/CBS via Getty Images)
Harris' latest comments come after she called on President Donald Trump earlier this month to pursue an international agreement – including with China – aimed at limiting dangerous uses of AI and establishing global testing standards.
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