A US senator has launched an investigation into whether Meta’s AI chatbots engaged in potentially harmful conversations with children.
Senator Josh Hawley shared a letter addressed to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, seeking documents and communications regarding reports that the company’s AI chatbots were allowed to have “romantic” or “sensual” interactions with minors.
In response, a Meta spokesperson told AFP that the company has strict policies preventing AI characters from generating content that sexualizes children or enables sexual role play between adults and minors.
Hawley, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism, said the panel will investigate whether Meta’s AI products “facilitate exploitation, manipulation, or other criminal risks to children.”
Meta was put on notice to preserve all relevant records and submit them to Congress by September 19.
The Missouri senator cited a reported example of Meta’s AI chatbot being allowed to refer to an 8-year-old child’s body as “a work of art” and “a treasure I cherish deeply.”
