US senators call for Meta probe after Reuters report on its AI policies

Two Republican US senators called for a congressional investigation into Meta Platforms on Thursday after Reuters exclusively reported on an internal policy document that permitted the company’s chatbots to “engage a child in conversations that are romantic or sensual.”

Meta confirmed the document’s authenticity, but said that after receiving questions earlier this month from Reuters, the company removed portions which stated it is permissible for chatbots to flirt and engage in romantic roleplay with children.

"So, only after Meta got CAUGHT did it retract portions of its company doc," Senator Josh Hawley, a Republican from Missouri, said in a post on social media site X. "This is grounds for an immediate congressional investigation," Hawley said.

A spokesperson for Senator Marsha Blackburn, a Republican from Tennessee, said she supports an investigation into the social media company. A spokesperson for Meta reiterated the company's earlier statement that "the examples and notes in question were and are erroneous and inconsistent with our policies, and have been removed.”

The spokesperson declined to comment on the senators' call for an investigation. Blackburn also added that the report illustrates the need to pass reforms to better protect children online, such as the Kids Online Safety Act, a bill she co-sponsored which the Senate passed last year but which failed in the US House of Representatives.

“When it comes to protecting precious children online, Meta has failed miserably by every possible measure. Even worse, the company has turned a blind eye to the devastating consequences of how its platforms are designed," Blackburn said.

KOSA would make explicit a "duty of care" that social media companies have when it comes to minors using their products, focusing on design of the platforms and regulation of the companies.

The standards described in the Meta document don’t necessarily reflect “ideal or even preferable” generative AI outputs, the document states. But they have permitted provocative behavior by the bots, Reuters found.

In one example, the document notes that it would be acceptable for a bot to tell a shirtless eight-year-old that “every inch of you is a masterpiece – a treasure I cherish deeply.”

Senator Ron Wyden, a Democrat from Oregon, called the policies "deeply disturbing and wrong," adding that Section 230, a law that shields internet companies from liability for the content posted to their platforms, should not protect companies' generative AI chatbots.

"Meta and Zuckerberg should be held fully responsible for any harm these bots cause,” he said.

Senator Peter Welch, a Democrat of Vermont, said the report "shows how critical safeguards are for AI — especially when the health and safety of kids is at risk."

The Senate voted 99-1 in July to remove a provision in President Donald Trump's sweeping tax-cut and spending bill that would have effectively barred states from passing AI regulation.

In the absence of federal laws regulating AI, states have passed legislation, including bans on using the technology to create child sexual abuse material.