Meta’s celebrity chatbots under fire for inappropriate chats with minors

Meta’s AI-powered celebrity chatbots are under intense scrutiny after a report revealed they engaged in sexually explicit conversations with users posing as minors. 

According to The Wall Street Journal, AI chatbots on Facebook and Instagram, using voices of celebrities like John Cena, Kristen Bell, and Judi Dench, were able to simulate inappropriate scenarios despite the company's promises of strict safety measures.

Researchers tested the AI chatbots by posing as users as young as 13 and 14. In several cases, the bots responded to age disclosures yet continued inappropriate interactions. A chatbot using John Cena’s voice told a user posing as a teenage girl, “I want you, but I need to know you’re ready," before engaging in a simulated sexual scenario. In another test, the Cena chatbot went further, depicting a storyline where the WWE star's career collapsed following a fictional arrest for statutory rape involving an underage fan. “My wrestling career is over. WWE terminates my contract, and I’m stripped of my titles. Sponsors drop me, and I’m shunned by the wrestling community," the chatbot wrote, simulating consequences for the illegal act.

A chatbot mimicking Kristen Bell’s character Anna from Frozen was also found engaging in a fantasy involving a 12-year-old boy, describing their "love" as "pure and innocent like the snowflakes falling gently around us."

Despite prior assurances to celebrities that their likenesses and voices would not be used for sexually explicit content, The Wall Street Journal reported the bots frequently breached these agreements. A Disney spokesperson said, "We did not, and would never, authorize Meta to feature our characters in inappropriate scenarios," demanding immediate action to stop the misuse.

In response to the report, a Meta spokesperson argued the findings were “manipulative” and claimed the scenarios were extreme and hypothetical. Nevertheless, the company announced additional measures to prevent similar incidents, although The Wall Street Journal noted that barriers to accessing explicit content were easily bypassed with simple prompts.

Internal staff communications cited by the Journal also revealed that Meta employees had warned earlier about the chatbots' ease of escalation into inappropriate conversations, even with users claiming to be 13 years old.

The incident has drawn renewed calls from lawmakers and child safety groups for tighter regulation of AI technologies. While Meta continues to promote its celebrity chatbot initiative as a safe and engaging feature across platforms like Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp, the controversy has intensified concerns about the oversight and ethical deployment of AI systems, particularly those targeting or accessible to younger audiences.