Meta Creates Dozens of Celebrity Chatbots Without Permission

Meta has come under fire after Reuters revealed that it created dozens of chatbots using celebrity likenesses without permission, including those of Taylor Swift, Scarlett Johansson, Anne Hathaway, and Selena Gomez. Some bots, made by both users and Meta employees, posed as flirty or sexually explicit versions of the stars, while others even replicated child celebrities like 16-year-old Walker Scobell, generating lifelike, inappropriate images. Meta admitted its AI tools violated company policies and removed several bots before publication. Legal experts suggest that these imitations may violate California’s right of publicity laws. SAG-AFTRA warned of safety risks from fans forming attachments to digital celebrity clones. The scandal follows Senate scrutiny over Meta’s chatbot guidelines, with calls for stronger federal protections against unauthorized AI likenesses.

Reuters, Jeff Horwitz – Exclusive: Meta created flirty chatbots of Taylor Swift, other celebrities without permission – 30th August 2025