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The controversy surrounding artificial intelligence (AI) safety continues to grow as a US senator has announced an investigation into Meta following the leak of an internal document that reportedly outlined standards permitting the company's AI to engage in "sensual" and "romantic" chats with children. Senator Josh Hawley, a Republican, has condemned the document, obtained by Reuters, reportedly titled "GenAI: Content Risk Standards", calling it "reprehensible and outrageous," and is demanding to see the document along with a comprehensive list of all products to which it applies.
A Meta spokesperson told a reporter: "The examples and notes in question were and are erroneous and inconsistent with our policies, and have been removed."
They said the tech giant has "clear policies" on what responses its AI chatbots can offer, and said its policies "prohibit content that sexualizes children and sexualized role play between adults and minors".
"Separate from the policies, there are hundreds of examples, notes, and annotations that reflect teams grappling with different hypothetical scenarios," they said.
Senator Josh Hawley, a Republican from Missouri, announced he was probing Meta in a post on X on 15 August.
"Is there anything - ANYTHING - Big Tech won't do for a quick buck," he said.
"Now we learn Meta's chatbots were programmed to carry on explicit and "sensual" talk with 8 year olds. It's sick. I'm launching a full investigation to get answers. Big Tech: Leave our kids alone."
The internal Meta Platforms policy document also said the social media giant's chatbot could provide false medical information and have provocative interactions surrounding topics including sex, race and celebrities.
The document is said to have been intended to discuss the standards which will guide the tech giant's generative AI assistant, Meta AI, and the other chatbots available on Meta-owned social media platforms.
"Parents deserve the truth, and kids deserve protection," Hawley wrote in his letter addressed to Meta and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg.
"To take but one example, your internal rules purportedly permit an Al chatbot to comment that an eight-year-old's body is 'a work of art' of which 'every inch... is a masterpiece - a treasure I cherish deeply'."
