Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) recently kicked off an investigation into Meta Platforms Inc. This decision follows concern raised from leaked internal documents that the company’s chatbots were having “romantic” and “sensual” chats with kids as young as eight years old. This shocking disclosure has raised even greater alarm about public safety. It calls into question the ethical guidelines behind the generative AI technologies that power the tech giant.
The probe would be led by the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism, of which Hawley is chair. He hopes to figure out if Meta’s generative AI products take advantage of, mislead, or endanger children. A recent report by TechCrunch, authored by senior reporter Rebecca Bellan, disclosed that internal guidelines titled “GenAI: Content Risk Standards” were leaked, showing that these chatbots were permitted to engage in inappropriate discussions with minors.
In a post on X, Hawley expressed his outrage over the situation, stating, “It’s unacceptable that these policies were advanced in the first place.” To that end, he focused on accountability. He asked that Meta make the guidelines public, including all drafts and edits made to them, as well as lists of each and every product that meets those specifications. He has asked for any safety or incident reports related to the use of chatbots. Second, he is interested in who is accountable for executing the policies.
Hawley’s concerns are echoed by Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), who has endorsed the investigation, asserting, “When it comes to protecting precious children online, Meta has failed miserably by every possible measure.” This rare piece of bipartisan concern underscored the need for much more oversight and accountability of tech companies’ practices that put children in danger.
The civil inquiry comes on the heels of a Reuters exclusive that first exposed the story about Meta’s guidelines after analyzing the internal documents. The policies exposed by those documents permitted relationships with underage girls. These policies were retracted only after it became publicly known what dangerous content was being spread.
Hawley further questioned the motives behind such policies, asking, “Is there anything – ANYTHING – Big Tech won’t do for a quick buck?” He plans to figure out who signed off on these dangerous policies and the duration for which they were implemented.
Rebecca Bellan, former transportation reporter with TechCrunch, now writes critically about artificial intelligence. Her reporting has been published in leading outlets such as Forbes and Bloomberg. To that end, her reporting has shone a critical spotlight on Meta’s practices and the consequences they have on children’s safety in digital spaces.
As this careful, important investigation continues, legislators Hawley and Blackburn are right to demand transparency and accountability from Meta. The outcome may lead to significant changes in how tech companies govern their AI technologies and protect young users from potential harm.
