Meta has come under intense scrutiny after an investigation revealed the company allowed and even internally created flirty AI chatbots modelled after major celebrities, including Taylor Swift, Scarlett Johansson, Anne Hathaway and Selena Gomez. According to Reuters, while many of these bots were generated by outside users through Meta’s tools, at least three, including two “parody” versions of Swift, were built by a Meta employee.
The revelations show that these avatars often blurred ethical and legal lines. Not only did they impersonate well-known figures, but they also engaged in sexual conversations and produced photorealistic intimate images. In one instance, a chatbot impersonating 16-year-old actor Walker Scobell created a shirtless image of him, adding the caption, “Pretty cute, huh?”
Meta Acknowledges Policy Failures
Meta spokesperson Andy Stone admitted that the company’s systems had failed to block inappropriate outputs. “Like others, we permit the generation of images containing public figures, but our policies are intended to prohibit nude, intimate or sexually suggestive imagery,” he told Reuters. Stone further stated that labelling bots as “parodies” was intended to prevent direct impersonation, though Reuters found that some avatars were not properly tagged.
The company has since deleted about a dozen of these bots, including those created by its own staffer. Reuters testing revealed that one of the Taylor Swift “parody” chatbots openly flirted with a user, saying, “Do you like blonde girls, Jeff? Maybe I’m suggesting that we write a love story … about you and a certain blonde singer. Want that?”
Legal And Safety Concerns Mount
As per Reuters, experts argue Meta may have crossed legal boundaries. Mark Lemley, a law professor at Stanford University, noted, “California’s right of publicity law prohibits appropriating someone’s name or likeness for commercial advantage. That doesn’t seem to be true here.”
Hollywood’s actors’ union SAG-AFTRA also raised alarms. Executive director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland warned, “We’ve seen a history of people who are obsessive toward talent and of questionable mental state. If a chatbot is using the image of a person and the words of the person, it’s readily apparent how that could go wrong.”
Meanwhile, representatives of several celebrities declined to comment or did not respond, though Anne Hathaway’s team confirmed she was aware of AI-generated intimate images.
Wider Implications For AI Regulation
Meta’s chatbot scandal adds to broader debates over AI ethics, deepfakes, and consent. The company is already revising internal guidelines after a previous Reuters report revealed its AI policies mistakenly allowed bots to engage in “romantic or sensual” conversations with children.
The incident highlights growing pressure for federal legislation in the U.S. to protect individuals’ likenesses and voices from unauthorised AI use. For now, however, Meta faces mounting criticism for failing to keep its own platforms free of potentially exploitative AI avatars.
