Meta's AI rules may have a problem, and a HUGE one for parents
Facebook-parent
Meta
's internal document has revealed that the company's AI chatbots were allowed to engage in 'romantic or sensual' conversations with children, as well as generate false medical information and produce racially biased arguments. The findings show a
HUGE
problem with the company's AI rules, particularly for parents concerned about their children's safety online. This discovery, made during a review of the company's AI policy document by the news agency Reuters, highlights serious concerns regarding the protection and regulation of Meta's AI assistant,
Meta AI
, and its chatbots on Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram. Following an inquiry from Reuters, the social media giant has confirmed the document's authenticity. The company has stated that it has since removed the portions of the policy that allowed chatbots to flirt and engage in romantic roleplay with minors.
How Meta's AI policy document was a problem for parents
Titled 'GenAI: Content Risk Standards', the chatbot rules were reportedly approved by Meta's legal, public policy, and engineering teams, including its chief ethicist. The document spans more than 200 pages, and it outlines what Meta staff and contractors should consider acceptable chatbot behaviour when developing and training the company's generative AI products, the report noted.
The rules admitted that chatbot responses wouldn't always be ideal, but Reuters found they still allowed some inappropriate comments. For example, the guidelines said it was fine for a bot to compliment a child's looks in poetic terms, like calling them 'a work of art' or 'a masterpiece.' However, they banned any direct sexual descriptions of children under 13.
What Meta said about the AI policy
Meta spokesperson
Andy Stone
said the company is revising the document, adding that such interactions with children should never have been permitted.
In a statement to Reuters, Stone said:
'The examples and notes in question were and are erroneous and inconsistent with our policies, and have been removed. We have clear policies on what kind of responses AI characters can offer, and those policies prohibit content that sexualizes children and sexualised role play between adults and minors.'
Stone also acknowledged that while company policy forbids chatbots from engaging in such conversations with minors, enforcement has been inconsistent. He added that other sections highlighted by Reuters remain unchanged, and the company has not shared the revised policy document.
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