Anti-DEI activist Robby Starbuck settles lawsuit over Meta on AI chatbot defamation
As part of the settlement, Starbuck will serve as a consultant to Meta, working with its Product Policy team to bolster their existing efforts to combat political bias in its AI models and reduce the risk of 'hallucinations' – made-up information – generated by the chatbot.
Advertisement
'Both parties have resolved this matter to our mutual satisfaction. Since engaging on these important issues with Robby, Meta has made tremendous strides to improve the accuracy of Meta AI and mitigate ideological and political bias. Building on that work, Meta and Robby Starbuck will work collaboratively in the coming months to continue to find ways to address issues of ideological and political bias and minimize the risk that the model returns hallucinations in response to user queries,' Meta and Starbuck said in a joint statement.
'I'm extraordinarily pleased with how Meta and I resolved this issue. Resolving this is going to result in big wins that I believe will set an example for ethical AI across the industry. I look forward to continuing our engagement as a voice for conservatives to ensure that we're always treated fairly by AI,' Starbuck told Fox News Digital.
Starbuck filed suit in Delaware Superior Court against Meta in April after its chatbot allegedly falsely accused him of being a 'White nationalist' who was arrested on Jan. 6 and claimed he had been sued for defamation.
The chatbot allegedly recommended that the right-wing influencer lose custody of his children, saying he was a danger to them.
Advertisement
3 Anti-DEI activist Robby Starbuck and Meta have settled in court after he sued the company,
William DeShazer for NY Post
The anti-DEI activist was first made aware of the AI chatbot's smears against him in August 2024, when an X user posted several instances of Meta AI spreading misinformation about him online.
The chatbot falsely claimed Starbuck was present at the Jan. 6 riot, was linked to the Q-Anon conspiracy, and was anti-vaccine.
Starbuck proceeded to investigate for himself whether Meta AI was spreading lies about him and uncovered additional falsehoods from the chatbot.
Advertisement
He decided to file a lawsuit but not before he tried to resolve the issue with Meta.
Woke bias has been a concern across multiple AI platforms produced by different companies.
3 Starbuck filed suit against Meta in April after its chatbot allegedly falsely accused him of being a 'White nationalist' who was arrested on Jan. 6.
REUTERS
Google Gemini faced backlash after its platform claimed that Memorial Day is a controversial holiday, and generated racially inaccurate images of historical figures.
Advertisement
ChatGPT, the chatbot pioneered by OpenAI, had previously been found to refuse requests to praise Donald Trump, but would accept requests to praise Kamala Harris or Joe Biden. OpenAI subsequently implemented programs designed to combat bias in its models.
Meta claimed that addressing political bias in its AI models has been a longstanding goal for the company.
'It's well-known that all leading LLMs have had issues with bias—specifically, they historically have leaned left when it comes to debated political and social topics. This is due to the types of training data available on the internet, our goal is to remove bias from our AI models and to make sure that Llama can understand and articulate both sides of a contentious issue.' Meta wrote on their blog in April.
The conservative activist told Fox News Digital he intends to use his new role with Meta to ensure that no American of any political stripe is subject to ideological bias. He's optimistic that his work with Meta will resonate across the AI industry as it continues to become an increasing presence in Americans' daily lives.
3 As part of the settlement, Starbuck will serve as a consultant, working with Meta's Product Policy team to bolster their existing efforts to combat political bias in its AI models.
Ana Gioia/NY POST DESIGN
'I think a tech leader like Meta working with me is a critically important step to producing a product that's fair to everyone. I think what we do to improve AI training could become an industry standard and I also think we'll set an example for the entire industry when it comes to ensuring fairness. I'm laser focused on that and ensuring that the highest quality training materials are used,' Starbuck told Fox News Digital.
Meta has attempted to address areas of perceived anti-conservative bias within its company since President Donald Trump returned to office.
In January, the social media behemoth announced it was ending its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policies.
Advertisement
The company also brought on former Republican political consultant Joel Kaplan, who worked as deputy chief of staff in the George W. Bush administration, to serve as its chief global affairs officer.
Kaplan told Fox News Digital in January that eliminating DEI would ensure the company builds teams with 'the most talented people.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
20 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Apple analyst rethinks price target after $100 billion U.S. investment
Apple analyst rethinks price target after $100 billion U.S. investment originally appeared on TheStreet. All hands on deck! Captain Cook is taking the helm. Please note that we're not talking about the 18th century explorer James Cook, who led three voyages to the Southern and Pacific Oceans. 💵💰Don't miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet's free daily newsletter 💰💵 We mean Apple () CEO Tim Cook, who has been guiding the Good Ship Cupertino through the turbulent tides of tariffs that followed President Trump's April 2 Liberation Day levy-palooza. Cook dropped anchor at the White House on Aug. 6 and joined Trump to announce that Apple was investing another $100 billion to expand its operations in the U.S. 'This is a significant step toward the ultimate goal of ensuring that iPhones sold in the United States of America also are made in America,' Trump said at the news conference. 'Today's announcement is one of the largest commitments in what has become among the greatest investment booms in our nation's history.' Apple said in February that it would invest $500 billion in the U.S. over the next four years and hire 20,000 U.S.-based workers. Apple shares surge on investment deal The company said at the time that it would build a new 250,000-square-foot manufacturing plant in Houston, set to open in 2026, that would make servers to power Apple's AI services. 'This includes new and expanded work with 10 companies across America,' Cook said in a statement. 'They produce components — semiconductor chips included — that are used in Apple products sold all over the world, and we're grateful to the President for his support.' More Tech Stocks: Analyst reboots SoFi Technologies price target after capital raise Amazon makes surprising decision to cut losses on recent deal Apple makes $100 billion genius move to skirt huge problem Trump also took time to say that he would slap tariffs of roughly 100% on imported semiconductors. "We'll be putting a tariff on of approximately 100% on chips and semiconductors, but if you're building in the United States of America, there's no charge, even though you're building and you're not producing yet," he said. Trump has criticized Cook and Apple for efforts to shift iPhone production to India to avoid the tariffs his administration had planned for China. In May, Trump threatened to impose a 25% tariff on iPhones made outside the U.S., writing on Truth Social that he told Cook that he expected iPhones that will be sold in the U.S. to be "manufactured and built in the United States, not India or anyplace else.' The announcement proved to be good news for Apple shares, which are off 12.2% this year. "Apple jumped more than 5% following news that it was increasing its capital investment in the U.S. by $100 billion," said TheStreet Pro's James "Rev Shark" DePorre in a recent column. "This strength offsets the weakness in thousands of smaller stocks." The investments are intended to bring more of Apple's supply chain and advanced manufacturing to the U.S. as part of an initiative called the American Manufacturing Program, but it is not a full commitment to build the iPhone domestically. Analyst says Apple may be exempt from tariffs The iPhone is Apple's most popular and profitable product as it consistently generates roughly half the company's total revenue each quarter. Wedbush analyst Dan Ives praised Cook's efforts to make peace with the White House."Cook has navigated this unprecedented tariff situation, proving that he is 10% politician and 90% CEO and [that at] times like this he will be using his strong ties globally to make sure it's smoother waters for Cupertino ahead despite concerns around AAPL's growth initiatives with Trump heading down the 'America First'/tariff path," Ives said. He maintained an outperform rating and $270 price target on Apple. But he also said that producing iPhones in the US remains "unrealistic given the cost structure vs. Asia/India and remains a fairy-tale concept. ... Apple will invest in Macs, AI, and a host of other tangential initiatives, but NOT core flagship iPhones being built in the U.S." Bank of America Securities analyst Wamsi Mohan and his team boosted their price target for Apple by 10 bucks to $250 while reiterating their buy rating. "Given the recent development of Apple's increased investment in the US, it seems increasingly likely that several Apple products will be exempt from tariffs," the firm said. Apple has the potential to gain smartphone market share in the U.S. "if competitors are exposed to tariffs while iPhones were to remain exempt," he said. While the the specifics are still unclear, B of A said, Apple seems likely to be exempt from at least the announced 100% tariff on semiconductors if not totally exempt. "If exempt, we believe estimates would be revised higher as Apple guided a $1.1 billion impact from tariffs for their [fiscal fourth quarter] after incurring $800 million in tariff-related costs in" fiscal Q3, the investment firm analyst rethinks price target after $100 billion U.S. investment first appeared on TheStreet on Aug 9, 2025 This story was originally reported by TheStreet on Aug 9, 2025, where it first appeared. Sign in to access your portfolio
New York Post
21 minutes ago
- New York Post
ANTI WOKE BIAS : ‘Garden of Hate' in Queens ups ante with federal litigation charging ‘viewpoint discrimination'
The leaders of an anti-Israel community garden that demanded members take a pro-Palestinian pledge are whining in a new federal lawsuit they are the victims of 'egregious viewpoint discrimination.' Sunset Community Garden organizers claim in recently filed Central Islip Federal Court papers their license was revoked this spring as punishment for their 'expressing messages of [Queer, Trans, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color] affirmation and anti-discrimination.' The controversial Ridgewood garden came under fire in September, when Jewish neighbors told The Post they didn't feel welcome due to the far-left, pro-Palestine rhetoric and mandate that new members pledge 'solidarity with the oppressed and marginalized people' of Palestine by the garden's management. The green space even had a special section called 'Poppies for Palestine.' 4 The fight over this green space in Ridgewood continues, now in federal court. Helayne Seidman Citing a breach of contract, the city Parks Department tried to oust the group by June 6, prompting garden leaders to quickly sue in state court. The legal action was then filed in federal court July 31. The impending eviction left leaders of the garden at Onderdonk and Willoughby avenues with 'emotional distress, and the loss of their community sanctuary,' they claimed. 4 Jewish residents felt unwelcome in the garden, in part, because of this section of the property. Instagram @sunsetgardenridgewood Parks only came after them because of their 'actual or perceived gender identities, sexual orientation, and/or race, and by the QTBIPOC-affirming nature of the Plaintiffs' expressive conduct,' they insisted in court papers. 'While the plaintiffs go court shopping, it's time for Parks to take action,' said Christina Wilkinson, a Ridgewood resident who worked to secure funding for the green space, but is now one of its most vocal critics. 'We live in a city that prides itself on its diversity, and our public resources shouldn't be run by people who openly discriminate against any segment of the population.' 4 Christina Wilkinson was one of the garden's founding members, but now opposes its woke approach. Christina Wilkinson/ Instagram The latest filing also claimed that The Post's coverage of the ongoing litigation has resulted in 'violent online threats, including calls to firebomb its members and destroy the garden with poison.' Garden leaders also claimed 'six white men entered the Garden and aggressively interrogated and menaced two immigrant stewards of color' in September, just a day after their policy was exposed by The Post. 4 The garden has now sued the city twice for discrimination. Helayne Seidman An NYPD spokesperson did not respond to emails asking if the alleged incident was reported to them. In June, garden organizer Laura Merrick renamed Sunset Community Garden to Jardin de Santa Cecilia in honor of Latina trans advocate Cecilia Gentili. The space is now home to a pair of 'altars' honoring Gentili. Jonathan Wallace, the garden leaders' attorney, did not respond to multiple requests for comment. The city's Parks Department didn't respond to requests for comment. A Law Department spokesman only confirmed the city had been served with the new lawsuit.
San Francisco Chronicle
an hour ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Thailand again accuses Cambodia of planting land mines as 3 soldiers are hurt by blast along border
BANGKOK (AP) — Three Thai soldiers on patrol were wounded Saturday when one stepped on a land mine in territory along the border with Cambodia, Thailand's army announced. The incident came just two days after the two countries reaffirmed their adherence to a ceasefire to end a brief armed conflict. The army's statement said the incident took place in Thailand's Sisaket province and 'clearly demonstrates to both domestic and international society that the use of concealed weapons in border areas continues to exist, constituting a clear violation of the Ottawa Convention by the Cambodian side.' The Ottawa Convention, also called the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Treaty, is an international agreement banning the weapons' use, and both Thailand and Cambodia have committed to it. A statement from Thailand's foreign ministry said the incident confirmed the Thai army's findings 'that new land mines are being laid in blatant violation of international law.' It also noted this was the third such incident in less than a month. Five days of armed conflict broke out last month, killing dozens of people on both sides, including civilians, and displacing more than 260,000. The fighting broke out a day after five Thai soldiers were wounded when one tripped an antipersonnel mine in disputed territory. A ceasefire that took effect on July 29 ended major fighting, though tension remained high. The two countries on Thursday at a meeting in Malaysia committed to a 13-point agreement on implementing their truce. The Thai army statement, citing its spokesperson Maj. Gen. Winthai Suvaree, charged that Saturday's mine explosion constituted 'a significant obstacle to the implementation of ceasefire measures and peaceful resolution of problems.' A statement issued in response by the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority denied Thailand's allegation that Cambodia had laid new mines. 'We have not, and will not, plant new land mines,' said the statement, noting that Cambodia is a party to the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Treaty Convention, 'and has an internationally recognized record of removing, not deploying, these indiscriminate weapons." It noted that Cambodia has cleared more than 1 million mines and nearly 3 million other pieces of unexploded ordnance left over from more than three decades of war and civil unrest that began in 1970. Cambodia had suggested that two earlier explosions last month wounding Thai soldiers might be land mines from past conflicts. Tensions had simmered since May this year when a Cambodian soldier was shot dead by Thai troops in a brief fracas in another contested border area. The escalating dispute was marked by border crossing restrictions and cross-border boycotts and bans of goods and services before fighting broke out.
