Missouri Senator Calls For Congressional Hearing Regarding META Letter About Chatbot Roleplaying

There’s a call for a congressional investigation in Meta Platforms, the providers of Facebook and Instagram, after a Reuters report that shows the company was allowing their chatbots to engage a child in conversations that were “romantic or sensual” in nature.

The investigation is being led by Senator Josh Hawley and Senator Marsha Blackburn from Tennessee.

The Reuters report was about an internal policy document that allowed the chatbot’s actions. Meta confirmed the document’s authenticity, but said that after the report, the company removed portions which stated it was permissible for the chatbots to engage in the “romantic roleplaying.”

Senator Hawley called the company out on X, saying they got “Caught” and only made a change because of it, which is the grounds for the investigation.

Reuters says a spokesperson for Meta indicated that “the examples and notes in question were and are erroneous and inconsistent with our policies, and have been removed” and they declined to comment on the possible investigation.