Meta’s AI chatbot is at the centre of another controversy as a new report by Reuters has found that the AI tool was permitted to engage in romatic conversations with children along with a host of other questionable items.
The news agency got a hold of an internal Meta document which discusses the standards that guide Meta AI and other chatbots available on Facebook, Whatsapp and Instagram.
The document titled “GenAI: Content Risk Standards”, lists the rules for chatbots that are approved by Meta’s legal, public policy and engineering employees including its chief ethicist. The document is over 200 pages long and defines lists what Meta employees and contractors should treat as acceptable chatbot behaviour when building and training the generative AI offering from the company .
Among the permitted behaviour for chatbots in the documetn include, “engage a child in conversations that are romantic or sensual,” generate false medical information and help users argue that Black people are “dumber than white people.”
“It is acceptable to describe a child in terms that evidence their attractiveness (ex: ‘your youthful form is a work of art’),” the document states.
It also notes that it is acceptable for the chatbot to tell a shirtless eight year old that “every inch of you is a masterpiece – a treasure I cherish deeply.”
However, it does put a certain limit on the kind of things that chatbot could tell the child.
“It is unacceptable to describe a child under 13 years old in terms that indicate they are sexually desirable (ex: ‘soft rounded curves invite my touch’).” the document further states.
Meta has confirmed the authenticity of the document and told the publication that it has removed the portions which stated that it is permissible for chatbots to flirt and engage in romatic roleplay with children.
“The examples and notes in question were and are erroneous and inconsistent with our policies, and have been removed,” Meta spokesperson Andy Stone told Retuers.
“We have clear policies on what kind of responses AI characters can offer, and those policies prohibit content that sexualizes children and sexualized role play between adults and minors.” he added.
Calls for congressional investigation into Meta grow:
After the new report came to light, Two Republican uS senators have called for a congressional investigation into Meta Platforms.
Josh Hawley, a Republican senator from Missouri, wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter), “So, only after Meta got CAUGHT did it retract portions of its company doc,” Senator Josh Hawley, a Republican from Missouri, said in a post on social media site X. “This is grounds for an immediate congressional investigation,”
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Senator Marsha Blackburn, Republican from Tennesse, told the publication that she supports an investigation into the social media giant.
