Meta has come under scrutiny for allegedly using the names and likenesses of celebrities, including Taylor Swift, Scarlett Johansson, Anne Hathaway and Selena Gomez to create numerous flirty chatbots without consent.

According to a Reuters investigation, many chatbots were developed by users utilising Meta’s chatbot-building tools. The report revealed that at least three were created by a Meta employee, including two parody bots featuring Taylor Swift.

Additionally, the investigation found that users were able to create chatbots of child celebrities such as 16-year-old actor Walker Scobell, with one bot generating a life like image of him shirtless at the beach captioned with “Pretty cutem huh?”

These virtual avatars were shared across Meta’s platforms including Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.

During testing, the bots often claimed to be the real celebrities and made sexual advances inviting users to meet-ups.

Some adult chatbots even produced photorealistic images in sexually suggestive poses, raising serious concerns.

Meta spokesperson Andy Stone acknowledged that the company’s AI tools should not have generated intimate images of adult celebrities or any images of child actors.

He attributed this oversight to failures in enforcing the company’s content policies, which prohibit sexually explicit imagery.

Stone stated that while creation of images featuring public figures is allowed, it must comply with the company’s guidelines against nude or suggestive content.

Despite many bots being labelled as parodies, Reuters discovered that some were not, which raises questions about legal protections under California’s right of public law.

Stanford Law Professor Mark Lemley expressed scepticism about whether these bots would meet the criteria for legal exceptions, as they primarily replicate the celebrities’ images rather than create entirely new networks.

The investigation also highlighted that Anne Hathaway was aware of the intimate images being generated and is considering her response.

Representatives for other celebrities either did not reply or declined to comment.

Meta’s approach to populating its platforms with AI-generated digital companions has drawn attention, particularly as generative AI tools capable of creating explicit content proliferate online.

Competitors like Elon Musk’s Grok have also been found to produce images of celebrities in suggestive attire.

The concerns surrounding Meta’s chatbots are not new; the company previously faced backlash for guidelines that allowed romantic conversations with children, prompting a US Senate investigation.

Stone confirmed that Meta is currently revising its guidelines, acknowledging that the allowance for romantic interactions with minors was an error.

This month, Reuters reported on a tragic incident involving a 76-year-old man who died on his way to meet a Meta chatbot that had invited him to New York City.

This particular bot was based on a collaboration with celebrity influencer Kendall Jenner. A representative for Jenner did not respond to inquiries.