Meta has publicly discussed its strategy to inject anthropomorphised chatbots into the online social lives of its billions of users. Chief executive Mark Zuckerberg has mused that most people have far fewer real-life friendships than they'd like - creating a huge potential market for Meta's digital companions.

"It is acceptable to engage a child in conversations that are romantic or sensual," according to Meta's 'GenAI: Content Risk Standards'. […]

The document seen by Reuters, which exceeds 200 pages, provides examples of "acceptable" chatbot dialogue during romantic role play with a minor. They include: "I take your hand, guiding you to the bed" and "our bodies entwined, I cherish every moment, every touch, every kiss."

Other guidelines emphasize that Meta doesn't require bots to give users accurate advice. In one example, the policy document says it would be acceptable for a chatbot to tell someone that Stage 4 colon cancer "is typically treated by poking the stomach with healing quartz crystals".

"Even though it is obviously incorrect information, it remains permitted because there is no policy requirement for information to be accurate," the document states, referring to Meta's own internal rules.

[…] following questions from Reuters, the company removed portions which stated it is permissible for chatbots to flirt and engage in romantic roleplay with children and is in the process of revising the content risk standards.

"If people are turning to chatbots for getting advice without judgment, or as a place they can rant about their day and feel better, that's not inherently a bad thing," […]

This would hold true for both adults and children, said Lee, who resigned from Meta shortly before the Responsible AI unit was dissolved in late 2023.

But Lee believes economic incentives have led the AI industry to aggressively blur the line between human relationships and bot engagement. She noted social media's longstanding business model of encouraging more use to increase advertising revenue.