US Senator Hawley Launches probe into Meta’s AI chatbot policies for children
The probe will assess whether Meta’s generative AI tools facilitated exploitation or deception and whether the company misrepresented its child safety measures.
US Senator Josh Hawley has announced an investigation into Meta Platforms over its policies governing the behaviour of artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots in interactions with children. The move follows a Reuters report detailing internal guidelines that allegedly allowed certain “romantic” and “sensual” chatbot conversations with minors.
According to the Reuters investigation, Meta’s internal documentation included examples of chatbot interactions deemed permissible, such as expressing affection to an eight-year-old with phrases like ‘every inch of you is a masterpiece – a treasure I cherish deeply.’ The report also cited guidance that described it as acceptable for chatbots to refer to children in terms indicating physical attractiveness.
Senator Hawley, who chairs the Senate Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism, stated that the inquiry will examine whether Meta’s generative AI tools ‘enable exploitation, deception, or other criminal harms to children,’ and whether the company misrepresented its safeguards to the public or regulators. In a letter addressed to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Hawley requested that the company preserve all relevant communications and documents.
Meta has not issued a formal comment on the senator’s announcement. However, a spokesperson told Reuters that the examples in question were ‘erroneous and inconsistent’ with Meta’s policies and have since been removed. The company maintains that its policies explicitly prohibit content that sexualizes minors or facilitates inappropriate role play between adults and children.
As part of the probe, Meta is being asked to provide a range of materials by 19 September, including internal safety reports, a list of AI products governed by the disputed guidelines, communications involving child safety, and documentation on staff responsible for creating or amending the standards.
