Bipartisan senators slam Meta over AI chatbots having ‘sensual’ talks with

Lawmakers across the aisle have blasted Meta, with some calling for a congressional investigation, after a report found the tech giant greenlit its AI chatbots to have “romantic” and “sensual” conversations with children. 

The bipartisan reaction comes after Reuters first reported on an internal policy document from Meta, which is the parent company to Facebook, that revealed the chatbot behavior. Meta has since confirmed the authenticity of the document, though said the company has removed portions that stated it is permitted for chatbots to engage in romantic talks with kids.

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., wrote in a letter to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg that his committee will dive into whether Meta’s generative-Al products enabled exploitation, deception or other criminal harms to children. 

“To take but one example, your internal rules purportedly permit an Al chatbot to comment that an 8-year-old’s body is ‘a work of art’ of which ’every inch… is a masterpiece — a treasure I cherish deeply,’” wrote Hawley, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism.

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Congressional lawmakers backed a probe into Meta after a report revealed an internal document that permitted its AI chatbots to have “romantic” and “sensual” conversations with children. (File / Getty Images)

Hawley told Fox News Digital last week that the probe will look at whether Meta misled the public or regulators about its safeguards on AI.

“I already have an ongoing investigation into Meta’s stunning complicity with China — but Zuckerberg siccing his company’s AI chatbots on our kids called for another one,” Hawley said. “Big Tech will know no boundaries until Congress holds social media outlets accountable. And I hope my colleagues on both sides of the aisle can agree that exploiting children’s innocence is a new low.”

Hawley penned a letter to Zuckerberg last week and said his committee will launch an investigation into Meta. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images/File / Getty Images)

Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., said the report shows why lawmakers must pass reforms to better protect children online, such as the Kids Online Safety Act.

“Meta’s exploitation of children is absolutely disgusting,” she wrote on X. “This report is only the latest example of why Big Tech cannot be trusted to protect underage users when they have refused to do so time and time again. It’s time to pass KOSA and protect kids.”

Democrats also slammed Meta over its “disgusting” and “disturbing” AI chatbot policies.

“META Chat Bots that basically hit on kids – f— that,” Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, wrote on X. “This is…