U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) called exchanges outlined in a leaked Meta internal document ‘reprehensible and outrageous,’ claiming that it ‘demonstrates a cavalier attitude when it comes to the real risks that generative AI presents to youth development absent strong guardrails.’
U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) has demanded Meta hand over documents and communications related to its AI chatbots, following allegations its internal guidelines permitted “romantic” and “sensual” exchanges with children.
In one example highlighted in Hawley’s letter to CEO Mark Zuckerberg, a Meta AI chatbot was allowed to call an eight-year-old’s body “a work of art” of which “every inch . . . is a masterpiece—a treasure I cherish deeply.” The news comes after an investigation by Reuters earlier this week unveiled parts of an over 200-page internal document containing rules for its chatbots’ behavior that were approved by Meta’s legal, public policy, and engineering teams, including its chief ethicist.
