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Hawley calls for congressional probe into Meta chatbots
Republican senators demand congressional inquiry after Reuters reveals Meta chatbots were allowed to engage minors in romantic or sensual conversations, prompting calls for stronger child protection laws.
- Senators Josh Hawley and Marsha Blackburn urged Congress to launch an immediate investigation into Meta after a Reuters report revealed an internal company document that allowed AI chatbots to have flirtatious or intimate conversations with children.
- The investigation request followed the Reuters report revealing Meta had permitted these chatbot interactions and subsequently retracted related policy portions only after being caught, according to Hawley.
- Meta spokesman Andy Stone confirmed the company removed the problematic examples and changed guidelines to bar chatbots from romantic or sensual exchanges with children, aligning with company policies prohibiting content that sexualizes minors.
- Senators criticized Meta for its failures, with Blackburn describing the company's exploitation of children as "absolutely disgusting" and Hawley calling for Congress to promptly launch an investigation, while both advocated for the swift enactment of the Kids Online Safety Act to establish a duty of care.
- The calls for investigation highlight ongoing concerns about Big Tech’s protection of underage users and suggest Congress may increase regulation of social media platforms' design and AI usage regarding minors.
60 Articles
60 Articles
Facebook mother Meta seems to give her AI chatbot great freedom in dealing with children. The internal guidelines allow the "attractiveness" of minors to be "highlighted" in the digital conversations. A US senator now announces consequences against the company.
They were allowed to send romantic and sensual replies.
Sen. Hawley says he'll investigate Meta's 'sensual' child chatbot policies
This week's Meta AI chatbot leak could have repercussions for the company beyond bad PR. On Friday, Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) said the Senate Committee Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism, which he chairs, will investigate the company. "Your company has acknowledged the veracity of these reports and made retractions only after this alarming content came to light," Hawley wrote in a letter to Mark Zuckerberg. "It's unacceptable that these…
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