Conservative Activist Sues Google Over AI “Hallucinations” That Branded Him Criminal

Conservative commentator Robby Starbuck is suing Google, accusing the company’s artificial intelligence systems of defamation after they allegedly generated false and damaging claims about him, including calling him a “child rapist” and “serial sexual abuser.”

Filed Wednesday in Delaware state court, the lawsuit says Google’s Bard and Gemma AI models spread “outrageously false” information about Starbuck to millions of users, connecting him to white nationalist Richard Spencer and even claiming he appeared in Jeffrey Epstein’s files.

Starbuck, a vocal critic of diversity, equity and inclusion programs, says the fabrications have damaged his reputation and endangered his safety. ”

Google spokesperson Jose Castaneda responded that the claims stem from known “hallucinations,” AI errors that generate incorrect or fabricated information, which the company has worked to reduce.

“Hallucinations are a well-known issue for all LLMs, which we disclose and work hard to minimise,” Castaneda said. “But as everyone knows, if you’re creative enough, you can prompt a chatbot to say something misleading.”

According to the complaint, Starbuck discovered in December 2023 that Bard had falsely tied him to Spencer, citing nonexistent sources. He said Google ignored his requests to remove the material. Later, he alleged, Gemma repeated similar falsehoods, including claims that he committed spousal abuse and attended the January 6 Capitol riots.

Starbuck, who is seeking at least $15 million in damages, previously filed a similar case against Meta Platforms earlier this year. That dispute was settled in August, with Meta reportedly agreeing to consult him on AI policy issues.

The lawsuit comes amid intensifying scrutiny of AI-generated misinformation. A recent European Broadcasting Union study found that chatbots like Bard and ChatGPT misrepresented facts in nearly half their responses, while Google’s own VEO3 video generator was shown to produce deceptive footage mimicking real events.