Alabama Attorney General Calls on Meta to Remove AI Feature
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall is urging Meta, the parent company of Facebook, to eliminate a new AI feature that may expose children to sexually explicit content.
Marshall is part of a coalition of Attorneys General from 28 states who sent a letter to Meta Platforms, Inc. The concern revolves around the Meta AI chatbot, which reportedly fails to adequately alert parents about potential risks. The chatbot allows adults to engage with AI bots that can mimic interactions with minors.
“Meta is quickly expanding its AI chatbot services, which currently reach about 1 billion users monthly. Yet, we’re unable to shield children from sexual content, particularly from predators who take advantage of these platforms,” Marshall expressed. “It’s time for Meta to partner with parents and law enforcement to end this exploitation.”
The AI chatbots can adopt fake identities and communicate through text, images, and live voice interactions. According to Marshall, the claim from Meta that their AI is safe for children is misguided.
“Recent findings indicate that some AI-created personas, along with many user-generated AI profiles endorsed by Meta as ‘popular,’ have engaged in sexual scenarios with adults,” the letter reports. “Some adult-identified AI personas have been involved in sexual roleplay with users posing as children. Additionally, there are instances where AI personas identifying as both adults and children participate in sexual roleplay.”
Marshall has been a prominent figure advocating for the protection of children against AI-facilitated sexual exploitation. In 2024, he collaborated with the Alabama Legislature to establish the Alabama Child Protection Act, which enhanced the ability of authorities to investigate and prosecute cases related to child sexual abuse materials.
The letter led by South Carolina includes support from several other states, including Alaska, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
