Senator Josh Hawley investigates Meta by allowing “sensual” AI to chat with kids
The day after Reuters reported that META’s AI rules allowed children to have “sensual” chats, Republican senators investigated the tech giant.
Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley released his letter to Mark Zuckerberg on Friday while announcing the investigation.
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“Is there anything – won’t big technology make money for quick results?” Hawley asked on X. “Now we learn that Meta’s chatbot has been programmed to have clear and ‘sensual’ conversations with the 8-year-old. It’s sick.”
Meta’s AI rules allow implied behavior with children
This letter introduces in more detail:
Mixable light speed
For example, your internal rules allegedly allow an AI chatbot to comment on an eight-year-old body being “a work of art” where “every inch… is a masterpiece – a treasure I deeply cherish.” Similar behaviors outlined in these reports are reprehensible and outrageous – showing a more fanatical attitude when it comes to the real risk of generative ALs lacking a strong guardrail for youth development. Parents deserve truth, and children deserve protection.
In the letter, Hawley asked META to produce all drafts of its AI standards, products involved, risk reviews and incident reports, communication with public claims and regulatory agencies such as the FTC, and individuals involved in the change of the policy by September 19.
Hawley, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Crime and Counter-Terrorism Subcommittee, wrote that the subcommittee will examine whether Meta’s generated AI products “enable exploitation, deception or other criminal harm to children and whether Meta has misled the public or regulators’ safeguards.”
Reuters also reported other disturbing rules in META’s AI policy, such as allowing users to argue about racist beliefs about black people. Hawley’s letter did not call clearly. It does point out the rule “Green-[light] Other harmful content behind the legal word game. ”
Meta declined to comment on Hawley’s letter to Mashable, but sent a statement about Reuters article:
We have clear policies on which responses AI roles can provide, which prohibit the use of child sexual and sexual roles between adults and minors. Separated from policy, there are hundreds of examples, comments and notes reflect the team’s efforts to cope with different assumptions. The examples and comments discussed are wrong with our policies and have been removed.
This is not the first time Hawley aims to be technology. Earlier this year, Republicans introduced a bill that required the download of DeepSeek, China’s artificial intelligence app, to commit crimes. In 2023, he supported Tiktok and criticized Tiktok many years ago. In 2019, Hawley introduced a bill to ban automatic video playback and unlimited scrolling.
