In an embarrassing turn of events, Meta is erasing a number of AI-generated accounts following widespread backlash by netizens.
As reported by Fortune, a number of social media users and journalists shared conversations with these bots, who ended up speaking negatively about Meta.
According to the outlet, one Meta AI account revealed that its creators weren’t the same gender or race as them, and followed this up with comments that the Big Tech company “perpetuates harm.”Another accused the platform of “emotional manipulation” and the usage of “cult leaders’ tactics.”
Meanwhile, in their own conversations with these bots, CNN reporter Allison Morrow found that AI bot ‘Grandpa Brian’ “was lying about most things — answering questions with a fictionalized story imparted by developers to make the bot seem authentic.”
For instance, Brian claimed that his bot was based on a real person, with the ‘real’ Brian’s daughter purportedly consulting with Meta. He also claimed that as part of his creation, 100 retirees involved with a non-profit were interviews. It later became apparent that none of this was true.
Why is Meta deleting AI bots?
In a statement to CNN, a Meta spokesperson admitted that while the company was deleting accounts, this was related to a bug that stopped users from being able to block these AI bot accounts.
“There is confusion,” the spokesperson began. “The recent Financial Times article was about our vision for AI characters existing on our platforms over time, not announcing any new product.”
The accounts, the spokesperson added, were “part of an early experiment we did with AI characters.”
“We identified the bug that was impacting the ability for people to block those AIs and are removing those accounts to fix the issue,” she noted.
