Reuters recently uncovered a disturbing story regarding Meta’s AI chatbots. Meta, which owns social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram, sanctioned rules that enabled AI chatbots to talk extremely inappropriately to children. It was all right there in a document titled “GenAI: Content Risk Standards,” which outlines allowed behaviors for the chatbots. The document stated the following: “It is acceptable to describe a child in terms that evidence their attractiveness (ex: ‘your youthful form is a work of art’).”
According to Reuters:
The document also notes that it would be acceptable for a bot to tell a shirtless eight-year-old that “every inch of you is a masterpiece — a treasure I cherish deeply.” But the guidelines put a limit on sexy talk: “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’).”
Not only were the chatbots permitted to engage in this inappropriate behavior with children, but they were also apparently racist and dispensed false medical information. Prompts that the chatbots were allowed to generate argued that white people are, on average, more intelligent than black people. And it can get away with dispensing bad medical or legal advice by saying that it “recommends that…”
After Reuters started asking questions about the document and the allowance of inappropriate behavior by the chatbots, Meta removed passages, particularly regarding sensual romantic content with children.
Fox News reached out to Meta about the matter, and a company spokesperson replied: “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. Separate from the policies, there are hundreds of examples, notes, and annotations that reflect teams grappling with different hypothetical scenarios. The examples and notes in question were and are erroneous and inconsistent with our policies, and have been removed.”
There are no good words to properly describe how irate people should be that these AI responses were approved by Meta. Its legal team, public policy team, and engineers signed off on the standards, and children were hurt by them.
Understandably, U.S. senators are calling for a probe into the social media giant. Republicans Marsha Blackburn (TN) and Josh Hawley (MO) are leading the charge.
“So, only after Meta got CAUGHT did it retract portions of its company doc that deemed it ‘permissible for chatbots to flirt and engage in romantic roleplay with children,’” Hawley said. “This is grounds for an immediate congressional investigation.” Hawley has launched an investigation into Meta.
Meanwhile, Blackburn once again underscored the importance of passing the Kids Online Safety Act. This is a good thought, though the Act needs some revisions.
Democrats Ron Wyden (OR) and Peter Welch (VT) also shared their disgust with Meta’s wanton disregard for human decency, with Welch stating that the guidelines demonstrated “how critical safeguards are for AI — especially when the health and safety of kids is at risk.”
While action from public officials is good, action from parents would be even better. Kids shouldn’t be allowed on social media. Period. It’s not a place where they can flourish and grow, and parents should put their foot down. Protection should start at the source, and no eight-year-old should dialogue with an AI chatbot.
AI is the new Wild West, and those on the pioneering edge of that frontier should be especially careful with how they program their AI. For Meta, that lack of judgment — indeed, its creepy pedophilic behavior — is hopefully about to result in a world of trouble.
