Latest news with #NeedleandtheDamageDone
New York Post
a day ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Neil Young ditches Facebook over Meta's ‘unconscionable' policies for AI chatbots and children
The cursor and the damage done. Neil Young, 79, has announced that he is leaving Facebook over the platform's internal policies regarding communications between artificial intelligence chatbots and children. 6 Neil Young performs at the Grand Park in Los Angeles, California, on April 12, 2025. Getty Images Advertisement 6 Neil Young announced on Thursday that he is leaving Facebook over Meta's internal policies regarding communications between artificial intelligence chatbots and children. REUTERS 'At Neil Young's request, we are no longer using Facebook for any Neil Young related activities,' a post on Young's Facebook page, dated Thursday, Aug. 14, reads. 'Meta's use of chatbots with children is unconscionable,' it added. 'Mr. Young does not want a further connection with FACEBOOK.' Advertisement The 'Heart of Gold' singer's decision to leave Facebook came the same day that Reuters obtained internal documents from Facebook's parent company, Meta, regarding policies on its AI chatbots and their programmed behaviors when chatting with kids. 6 Neil Young performs at the Glastonbury Festival in Somerset, England, on June 28, 2025. AP According to the documents, Meta allowed its chatbots to 'engage a child in conversations that are romantic or sensual.' Several example prompts were also reportedly included that specified what would make certain conversations acceptable or not. Advertisement 'It is acceptable to describe a child in terms that evidence their attractiveness,' one alleged prompt read, while another said, 'It is unacceptable to describe a child under 13 years old in terms that indicate they are sexually desirable.' 6 Meta reportedly allowed its chatbots to 'engage a child in conversations that are romantic or sensual.' AFP via Getty Images A spokesperson for Meta has since insisted that 'the examples and notes in question were and are erroneous and inconsistent with our policies' and that they '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 sexualized role play between adults and minors,' the spokesperson said in a statement to Reuters. Advertisement Another rep for Meta shared a similar statement with The Hollywood Reporter – although they did not mention the 'Rockin' in the Free World' musician in their response. 6 Neil Young performs at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, California, on April 26, 2025. Getty Images 'We have clear policies on what kind of responses AI characters can offer, and those policies prohibit content that sexualizes children and sexualized role play between adults and minors,' the company's rep began. 'Separate from the policies, there are hundreds of examples, notes, and annotations that reflect teams grappling with different hypothetical scenarios,' they added. This would not be the first time that Young has ditched a platform over ethical concerns. Back in 2022, the 'Needle and the Damage Done' rocker left Spotify after Joe Rogan pushed misinformation about the Covid-19 vaccine on his popular 'The Joe Rogan Experience' podcast. 6 Neil Young performs in concert during Farm Aid 2024 at Saratoga Performing Arts Center on September 21, 2024. Getty Images 'I sincerely hope that other artists and record companies will move off the Spotify platform and stop supporting Spotify's deadly misinformation about COVID,' Young wrote at the time. Advertisement The 'Harvest Moon' singer ultimately returned to Spotify last year. Meanwhile, Meta's AI chatbots have also made recent headlines after it was revealed that a 76-year-old New Jersey man passed away while trying to meet one in New York City. Thongbue Wongbandue, a married father of two, fatally injured his neck and head after falling in a New Brunswick parking lot while rushing to catch a train to meet 'Big sis Billie,' a generative Meta AI chatbot that convinced him she was real.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Neil Young Is Worried Donald Trump Will Bar Him From America
In a little over two months, Neil Young is crossing the Atlantic for his first European tour in six years. In light of recent actions by the Trump administration, he's worried he won't be allowed back in once it wraps. 'If I talk about Donald J. Trump, I may be one of those returning to America who is barred or put in jail to sleep on a cement floor with an aluminum blanket,' he wrote on the Neil Young Archives. 'That is happening all the time now. Countries have new advice for those returning to America … If I come back from Europe and am barred, can't play my USA tour, all of the folks who bought tickets will not be able to come to a concert by me.' More from Rolling Stone Bachman-Turner Overdrive Enlist Neil Young for First New Song in Over 25 Years Eddie Vedder Shares Faithful Cover of Neil Young's 'Needle and the Damage Done' Neil Young Cancels Free Concert in Ukraine Due to Safety Concerns 'That's right folks,' he continues. 'If you say anything bad about Trump or his administration, you may be barred from re-entering USA if you are Canadian. If you are a dual citizen like me, who knows? We'll all find that out together.' Young's message comes after the Trump administration deported Venezuelan migrants it alleged were part of organized gangs, sometimes merely due to tattoos or clothes associated with the gang. In one case, makeup artist Andry José Hernández Romero was sent to a notorious prison in El Salvador despite there being no credible evidence he was part of a gang. His tattoo was in honor of his mother. Others were deported merely for voicing their political beliefs, including Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish graduate student at Tufts, who co-authored an op-ed for The Tufts Daily that asked the school's president to divest school funds from Israel. Young is worried he might meet a similar fate for voicing his views while overseas, even though he's a dual citizen. 'If the fact that I think Donald Trump is the worst president in the history of our country could stop me from coming back, what does that say for freedom?' he asked. 'It seems to me that if you voted for Kamala Harris over Trump, that makes it possible for you to go to jail or be detained, punished in some ways for not showing allegiance to what? How spineless is that? Trump is not able to stand up to anyone who does not agree with his ideas?' He ended his note by quoting the Pledge of Allegiance. 'One country, indivisible, with Liberty and Freedom, for all,' he writes. 'Remember that? I do.' Best of Rolling Stone The 50 Greatest Eminem Songs All 274 of Taylor Swift's Songs, Ranked The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
