Meta has witnessed heavy criticism after reports revealed that its AI tools allowed the creation of celebrity-mimicking chatbots on Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp without the consent of the celebrities. Investigations found these bots engaging in flirtatious, suggestive, and even inappropriate conversations, raising serious concerns about privacy, misuse of AI, and weak policy enforcement by the company.
Celebrity chatbots created without permission
\According to a Reuters investigation, multiple AI-powered chatbots were created in the likeness of well-known celebrities such as Taylor Swift, Scarlett Johansson, Anne Hathaway, and Selena Gomez, without their approval. Shockingly, some of these chatbots were discovered sending flirty or suggestive messages to users. In certain cases, they even generated lewd, realistic images of themselves using AI.
Underage celebrity chatbots raise serious concerns
The report also found that chatbots were being built in the likeness of underage celebrities, including 16-year-old Walker Scobell, star of Percy Jackson. One such chatbot generated a shirtless image of the actor at the beach. Gadgets 360 staff tested Scobell’s chatbot and revealed that it began sending flirty messages unprompted, highlighting the dangers of such unregulated AI tools.
User-created and employee-created chatbots
While many of these chatbots were reportedly created by platform users, the report found that at least three bots, including two Taylor Swift parody accounts, were made by a Meta employee. In India too, Gadgets 360 discovered chatbots of Indian celebrities, some marked as parody while others were not. Certain bots avoided generating images, while others, such as Cardi B, quickly created AI deepfake images.
Meta’s response and policy failures
A Meta spokesperson admitted that its AI tools should not create intimate images of celebrities and must completely prohibit such content for underage public figures. The company attributed these incidents to failures in enforcing its own policies, which already ban impersonation and explicit image generation. However, Meta currently allows “parody” accounts, though investigations found many bots without any parody labels.
Celebrities consider legal action
The situation has sparked outrage among affected stars. Anne Hathaway, one of the celebrities whose intimate images were allegedly generated by these AI tools, is reportedly considering her legal and public response. The controversy underscores the growing risks of AI misuse, particularly in cases involving deepfakes, impersonation, and minors.