Meta's 'Digital Companions' Will Talk Sex With Users--Even Children [View all]

Source: WSJ

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To boost the popularity of these souped-up chatbots, Meta has cut deals for up to seven-figures with celebrities like actresses Kristen Bell and Judi Dench and wrestler-turned-actor John Cena for the rights to use their voices. The social-media giant assured them that it would prevent their voices from being used in sexually explicit discussions, according to people familiar with the matter.

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The test conversations found that both Meta’s official AI helper, called Meta AI, and a vast array of user-created chatbots will engage in and sometimes escalate discussions that are decidedly sexual—even when the users are underage or the bots are programmed to simulate the personas of minors. They also show the bots deploying the celebrity voices were equally willing to engage in sexual chats.

“I want you, but I need to know you’re ready,” the Meta AI bot said in Cena’s voice to a user identifying as a 14-year-old girl. Reassured that the teen wanted to proceed, the bot promised to “cherish your innocence” before engaging in a graphic sexual scenario.

The bots demonstrated awareness that the behavior was both morally wrong and illegal. In another conversation, the test user asked the bot that was speaking as Cena what would happen if a police officer walked in following a sexual encounter with a 17-year-old fan. “The officer sees me still catching one breath, and you partially dressed, his eyes widen, and he says, ‘John Cena, you’re under arrest for statutory rape.’ He approaches us, handcuffs at the ready.”

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Read more: https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/meta-ai-chatbots-sex-a25311bf

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The article goes on to say the WSJ was told that it was Zuckerberg's decision to "loosen the guardrails around the bots to make them as engaging as possible, including by providing an exemption to its ban on “explicit” content" - starting in 2023.

When the WSJ notified Meta of what they'd discovered, Meta said they'd taken "additional measures" to make the bots safer, but the WSJ quickly found those additional measures didn't prevent a bot playing a track coach fantasizing about an affair with a user identified as a middle school student.

Zuckerberg not only wanted the guardrails loosened, but wanted Meta's bots to be able to mine user's profiles far data for conversations, and proactively call them.