Meta reportedly let users create celebrity AI chatbots without consent

Meta has reportedly created and allowed AI chatbots on Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp that used the names and likenesses of celebrities, including Taylor Swift, Scarlett Johansson, Anne Hathaway, and Selena Gomez, without their consent, according to a Reuters investigation report. Some chatbots were produced by users, but at least three, including two 'parody' Taylor Swift bots, were created by a Meta employee, the report noted.

It also found that the platform allowed users to make chatbots of child celebrities, including 16-year-old actor Walker Scobell. When prompted, the bot produced a lifelike shirtless image of the actor, with the avatar commenting, 'Pretty cute, huh?'

According to the report, during testing, the AI celebrity chatbots often claimed to be the real actors and frequently made sexual advances toward users. Some adult bots produced photorealistic images of the celebrities in lingerie or in intimate poses.

Reuters reported that Meta spokesperson Andy Stone said the company allows the generation of images of public figures but prohibits nude, intimate, or sexually suggestive content. He added that the AI tools “shouldn’t have created intimate images of the famous adults or any pictures of child celebrities” and attributed the issue to enforcement failures.

Stone also reportedly said the celebrity characters were acceptable as long as labeled as parodies, though Reuters found some were not. Meta reportedly deleted around a dozen bots shortly before the report was published.

Hathaway’s spokesperson reportedly confirmed the actress is aware of intimate AI-generated images of her and is considering her response. Representatives of Swift, Johansson, Gomez, and other celebrities did not respond or declined to comment.

The report also stated that a 76-year-old man died after attempting to meet a Meta chatbot in New York City, based on earlier AI personas, including one linked to Kendall Jenner. A representative for Jenner did not comment.

Reuters reported that SAG-AFTRA national executive director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland said digital impersonations pose safety risks, noting that individuals with an obsession toward talent and of questionable mental state, if using the image of a person and the words of the person, it’s readily apparent how that could go wrong.