Meta, Conservative Activist Robby Starbuck Settle AI Defamation Lawsuit

Conservative activist Robby Starbuck has settled a defamation lawsuit against Meta Platforms, alleging that Meta's AI chatbot falsely accused him of being a "White nationalist" involved in the January 6 Capitol riot and suggested he was a danger to his children. As part of the settlement, Starbuck will serve as a consultant to Meta, collaborating with their Product Policy team to reduce political bias and minimize hallucinations—fabricated information—in their AI models. Both Meta and Starbuck expressed satisfaction with the resolution, highlighting significant improvements Meta has made in the accuracy and ideological neutrality of its AI tools. Starbuck emphasized that this collaboration aims to set an ethical standard across the AI industry and ensure fair treatment of conservatives by AI systems. The lawsuit arose after Starbuck discovered multiple false claims generated by Meta AI in August 2024, leading to his April 2025 legal action. This settlement marks a step toward addressing concerns over political bias and misinformation in artificial intelligence technologies.