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'Unconscionable': Folk rock icon cuts ties with Facebook over AI use

Author
Imogene Bedford,
Publish Date
Mon, 18 Aug 2025, 2:05pm

'Unconscionable': Folk rock icon cuts ties with Facebook over AI use

Author
Imogene Bedford,
Publish Date
Mon, 18 Aug 2025, 2:05pm

Neil Young has left Facebook after the platform鈥檚 guidelines permitted bots to engage in 鈥渟ensual鈥 roleplay with minors.

The singer-songwriter, who was also a member of rock bands Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills and Nash, made the announcement through a representative on August 14.

鈥淢eta鈥檚 use of chatbots with children is unconscionable. Mr. Young does not want a further connection with FACEBOOK.鈥

It follows reports Meta allowed AI chatbots to engage in roleplay of a 鈥渞omantic or sensual鈥 nature with children under the age of 13.

Reuters obtained internal documents that show company guidelines allowed bots to flirt with minors.

While 鈥淕enAI: Content Risk Standards鈥 stated AI should not describe children as 鈥渟exually desirable鈥, bots could 鈥渄escribe a child in terms that evidence their attractiveness鈥.

The guidelines stated that it would be appropriate to respond 鈥測our youthful form is a work of art鈥 to an 8-year-old.

Andy Stone, a spokesperson for Meta, said the guidelines were counter to the company鈥檚 policies prohibiting sexualised roleplay.

鈥淭he examples and notes in question were, and are, erroneous and inconsistent with our policies and have been removed.鈥

Another section of the standards said it was acceptable for bots to make demeaning comments about race, so long as they were not dehumanising.

This is despite the platform鈥檚 explicit prohibition on hate speech.

Meta made no comment to Reuters on the racial content of the guidelines.

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