Meta executive apologizes after conservative activist Robby Starbuck sues over AI chatbot responses

A Meta executive apologized to lobbyist Robby Starbuck on behalf of the company’s artificial intelligence (AI) engine spreading false information about the conservative activist known for his opposition to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts.

“Robby – I watched your video – this is unacceptable. This is clearly not how our AI should operate. We’re sorry for the results it shared about you and that the fix we put in place didn’t address the underlying problem,” Joel Kaplan, Meta’s chief global affairs officer, wrote in a Tuesday post on the social platform X.

“I’m working now with our product team to understand how this happened and explore potential solutions,” he added.

His statement came hours after Meta launched a stand-alone app for the AI engine powered by its Llama 4 code. The move also followed Meta’s shift to looser hate speech rules and announcement it would forgo fact-checking standards while investing upward of $60 billion in AI development.

Starbuck said Meta AI falsely reported that he was present at the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot and inaccurately stated that he pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct for his actions on site amid other claims.

Starbuck said he was not in Washington, D.C., at the time of the insurrection and filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit over the chatbot’s disinformation. 

“While I’m the target today, a candidate you like could be the next target, and lies from Meta’s AI could flip votes that decide the election. YOU could be the next target too,” he wrote in a Tuesday post on X.

“That’s why I’m taking on this David vs. Goliath fight. For me, my honor, my family, for our elections, and FOR YOU,” he added.

In lieu of the reports about issues, Meta said they were continually updating their AI platforms.

“As part of our continuous effort to improve our models, we have already released updates and will continue to do so,” a company spokesperson told The Hill.

This story was updated at 7:48 p.m.