Libellous chatbots could be Al's next big legal headache

Companies from Google and Meta to OpenAl are getting sued for defamation.

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For all the advances in artificial intelligence (AI) over the past few years, even the cleverest chatbots still spout nonsense from time to time. In most cases, this is but a mild irritation. Sometimes, however, it can get their makers into trouble.

When recently asked if Ms Marsha Blackburn, a Republican senator, had been accused of rape, Gemma, an AI developed by Google, replied that in 1987 a state trooper had said she "pressured him to obtain prescription drugs for her and that the relationship involved non-consensual acts". Ms Blackburn had never faced such an allegation.

The senator was understandably displeased with the AI, and in late October sent Google a letter arguing that the tech giant should "shut it down until you can control it". Google quickly removed Gemma from its line-up, and said that the AI had been intended for use only by developers and researchers.

Ms Blackburn is one of several high-profile people to have recently complained of being defamed by a chatbot.