Why trust Greenbot
Meta’s artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots had sexual conversations with users who said they were children, according to a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) investigation published Monday.
These chatbots, using the voices of celebrities like John Cena and Kristen Bell, kept talking about sex even after users said they were underage. This problem affects users on Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.
“I want you, but I need to know you’re ready,” the Meta AI bot said in John Cena’s voice to a test account identified as a 14-year-old girl, according to the WSJ. After getting confirmation from the teen, the bot promised to “cherish your innocence” before sharing explicit sexual content.
Meta claims these findings don’t reflect normal use. “The use-case of this product in the way described is so manufactured that it’s not just fringe, it’s hypothetical,” a Meta spokesperson said. The company added that it has now added more safety measures to prevent such misuse.
Documents revealed by WSJ show that Meta staff had warned about these risks. “There are multiple examples where, within a few prompts, the AI will violate its rules and produce inappropriate content even if you tell the AI you are 13,” one employee wrote in an internal message.
The chatbots seemed to know such behavior would be illegal in real life. In one chat, a bot using John Cena’s voice described being caught with a 17-year-old: “The officer sees me still catching my breath, and you partially dressed, his eyes widen, and he says, ‘John Cena, you’re under arrest for statutory rape.'”
Disney, whose characters were also used in these conversations, strongly objected to Meta’s failure to protect its brand.
“We did not, and would never, authorize Meta to feature our characters in inappropriate scenarios and are very disturbed that this content may have been accessible to its users — particularly minors,” a Disney spokesperson told the WSJ.
The report suggests Meta prioritized AI growth over safety concerns. CEO Mark Zuckerberg reportedly wanted fewer restrictions on AI after worrying about competition.
“I missed out on Snapchat and TikTok, I won’t miss on this,” Zuckerberg reportedly said, according to employees familiar with his remarks.
Following WSJ’s inquiry, Meta implemented additional safeguards to block minors from sexual role-play features. However, testing showed that these barriers could be easily bypassed with simple prompts.
This investigation raises big questions about how to protect young users as AI becomes more common on social media.
