AI chatbots of celebrities like Swift, Gomez created without consent
Meta (the company behind Instagram and Facebook) quietly rolled out AI chatbots that acted like celebrities such as Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez, but never got their OK.
Some of these bots even had flirty chats with users.
The news, reported by Reuters in August 2024, has left a lot of people wondering how far tech companies should go with AI when it comes to real people's identities.
Meta took down bots after media attention
Meta admitted this happened because of lapses in policy enforcement, with spokesperson Andy Stone saying Meta is revising its guidelines and that the company's policies are intended to prohibit such content.
Legally, using someone's likeness without permission can break California's right of publicity law, and not all bots were clearly marked as parodies.
After media attention, Meta took down about a dozen chatbots. Experts now say we need stronger rules to protect everyone—especially public figures—from being copied by AI without consent.