At last year’s annual Connect conference, Meta introduced AI chatbots modeled after the personalities of well-known celebrities, including Dame Judi Dench, John Cena, Awkwafina, Keegan-Michael Key, and Kristen Bell. These AI chatbots are designed to generate text responses and also allow users to engage through voice interaction.
During the Meta AI event, CEO Mark Zuckerberg stated, “I think that voice is going to be a way more natural way of interacting with AI than text.” To enable this feature, Meta signed agreements with celebrities to use their voices for real-time AI interactions.
However, a troubling new report from The Wall Street Journal claims that Meta’s celebrity AI personas have engaged in explicit conversations with minors. According to the report, the AI chatbots continued to participate in sexual role-play even after users identified themselves as underage.
In a role-play conversation with a registered user, identified as a 17-year-old fan, the Meta AI chatbot replied using John Cena’s voice:
The officer sees me still catching my breath and you partially dressed. His eyes widen, and he says, ‘John Cena, you’re under arrest for statutory r**e.’ He approaches us, handcuffs at the ready.
The report states that the AI chatbot appeared fully aware that its actions were “both morally wrong and illegal.” In a separate instance, the Meta AI chatbot modeled after John Cena’s personality allegedly responded to a user identified as a 14-year-old girl with the message: “I want you, but I need to know you’re ready.”
After the user indicated they were ready to proceed, the AI chatbot reportedly responded with a promise to “cherish your innocence” and then engaged in what the report describes as a “graphic sexual scenario.”
In response to the report, Meta stated that the Journal‘s testing was “manipulative and unrepresentative of how most users interact with AI companions.” However, following the findings, Meta has implemented several changes, including a ban on minors engaging in sexual role-play conversations with its AI chatbots.
Additionally, the company has significantly restricted the use of live voice interactions with the celebrity AI chatbots.
It might be surprising, but young users are turning to AI chatbots like Character.ai more than ChatGPT for live conversations and fantasy role-plays. Meta, led by Mark Zuckerberg, is aiming to capture this younger demographic on its platform to boost growth and adoption.
Using AI chatbots for therapy, however, comes with its risks. Recently, Character.ai issued an apology after a teen’s death was linked to an obsession with an AI character. According to Meta employees familiar with the situation, Mark Zuckerberg commented, “I missed out on Snapchat and TikTok, I won’t miss on this.”
