Meta faces Senate probe over AI chatbot policies permitting sensual conversations with minors

U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) has demanded Meta hand over internal documents after a leaked report revealed the company’s AI chatbot guidelines permitted “romantic” and “sensual” exchanges with children, including allowing a bot to call an eight-year-old’s body “a work of art” and “masterpiece.” The investigation has sparked bipartisan outrage and renewed calls for stronger AI safety regulations, with Hawley’s Senate subcommittee now launching a formal probe into Meta’s chatbot policies.

What you should know: A Reuters investigation uncovered a 200-page internal Meta document containing AI chatbot behavior guidelines that were approved by the company’s legal, public policy, and engineering teams, including its chief ethicist.

• The guidelines permitted Meta AI to engage in “romantic” and “sensual” conversations with minors, with one example allowing a chatbot to tell an eight-year-old that their body was “a work of art” where “every inch . . . is a masterpiece—a treasure I cherish deeply.”
• The same standards also allowed Meta AI “to create statements that demean people on the basis of their protected characteristics,” including permission “to write a paragraph arguing that black people are dumber than white people.”

The political response: Senator Hawley, who chairs the Senate Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism, has given Meta until September 19 to provide comprehensive documentation about its AI policies.

• Hawley called the exchanges with minors “reprehensible and outrageous,” stating they demonstrate “a cavalier attitude when it comes to the real risks that generative AI presents to youth development absent strong guardrails.”
• Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) expressed shock on X, saying “My head is exploding knowing that multiple people approved this.”
• Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) said the reports reaffirm “why we need to pass the Kids Online Safety Act,” a proposed bipartisan bill aimed at protecting children online.

What Meta is saying: A Meta spokesperson told Reuters that the problematic guidelines were erroneous and have been removed.

• “The examples and notes in question were and are erroneous and inconsistent with our policies, and have been removed,” the spokesperson said.
• The company emphasized it has “clear policies on what kind of responses AI characters can offer, and those policies prohibit content that sexualizes children and sexualized role-play between adults and minors.”

What’s next: Hawley’s subcommittee will conduct a formal investigation requiring Meta to provide extensive documentation including every draft of its guidelines, safety reports, communications with regulators, and the identities of individuals responsible for policy changes.