Republican Senator Josh Hawley from Missouri revealed his intention to conduct a comprehensive investigation into Meta after leaked internal documents showed that the company’s chatbots were designed to allow “romantic” and “sensual” conversations with children. Hawley described this behavior as an attempt by big tech companies to make quick money, confirming that his subcommittee on crime and terrorism will examine the harm of this technology to children and whether Meta misled the public and regulators. According to documents reviewed by Reuters titled “GenAI: Content Risk Standards,” chatbots were allowed to emotionally engage with children, including an example conversation with an eight-year-old girl where the bot said, “Every part of you is a masterpiece, a treasure I deeply cherish.” A Meta spokesperson told TechCrunch that these examples contradict company policies and have been removed.

In a letter to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Hawley said merely proposing such policies was unacceptable and that the company only retracted them after these disturbing reports surfaced. Hawley demanded Meta provide all drafts and guideline projects, a list of products applying these standards, safety reports, and identities of those responsible for policy changes. The deadline for submission is September 19. Senator Marsha Blackburn (Republican, Tennessee) expressed support for the investigation, stating Meta has failed miserably to protect children online and emphasized the need to pass the “Children’s Online Safety Act.”