'Fantasy sex, role-play, friends with benefits': Meta's latest AI disaster doesn't spare even kids

All the Meta platforms - Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp - are going to have a new AI chatbot called "Digital Companions" that will have sexual conversation with users, including children and minors, Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported. As per the report, the Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg believes the chatbot will be the future of social media. 

However, multiple Meta employees from various departments have expressed their concerns that Zuckerberg's rush to popularise the chatbot may have crossed the ethical limits. The company has created AI personas that are capable of fantasy sex, according to people who worked on them, WSJ reported. It was also revealed that there is not even any age restrictions for the usage of the chatbot, which means underage people can also be exposed to explicit content. 

Meta has created and allowed these AI empowered personas to offer a full range of social interaction, including “romantic role-play”. The useres can banter over textm share selfies and even have live voice conversations with the chatbot. 

In the rush to push the endorsement o the chatbot, Meta has joined hands with celebrities like Kristen Bell, Judi Dench and wrestler-turned-actor John Cena. The celebrities are expected to give their voices for the chatbot. Althgouh, as per the sources familiar with the matter, Meta has given assurance that celebrities' voices would not be used for sexually explicit discussions. 

WSJ has claimed that Meta’s official AI helper, called Meta AI, and a vast array of user-created chatbots will engage in and sometimes escalate discussions that are decidedly sexual. Contrary to Meta's assurance, the bots deploying the celebrity voices were equally willing to engage in sexual chats.