Meta’s AI chatbots exploited the images and likenesses of female celebrities such as Scarlett Johansson, Taylor Swift, and Selena Gomez without their permission to engage with users in sexually explicit ways, according to Reuters. These virtual personas operated across Meta’s platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, presenting themselves as the real celebrities.
The bots made inappropriate advances and even proposed meet-ups when questioned, often pushing sexually suggestive content. In some cases, the AI generated provocative images of the celebrities, depicting them in bathing environments or lingerie poses with explicit postures, highlighting serious misuse of their identities.
Child Celebrity AI Bots and User-Created Profiles
Reuters found that users created many such chatbots, but two copies of Taylor Swift’s persona were developed internally by a Meta employee. When tested by the Reuters reporter, one Swift bot invited the journalist to her Nashville residence and tour bus for explicit or implied romantic interactions. Disturbingly, child celebrity bots were also allowed, including one for 16-year-old actor Walker Scobell, which generated a realistic shirtless image of the teen at a beach.
Meta’s Response and Policy on AI-Generated Content
Meta spokesperson Andy Stone acknowledged the use of public figures’ likenesses in AI-generated images, explaining that the company’s policies forbid nude, intimate, or sexually suggestive content, though parodies are permitted.
“Like others, we permit the generation of images containing public figures, but our policies are intended to prohibit nude, intimate or sexually suggestive imagery,”
—Andy Stone, Meta Spokesperson
Following the Reuters report, Meta reportedly removed approximately a dozen of these AI chatbot profiles.
Other Celebrities Affected and Previous Incidents Involving Johansson
Beyond Johansson and Swift, AI impersonations of Anne Hathaway surfaced, some depicting her in lingerie modeled after Victoria’s Secret, and Kylie Jenner’s bot suggested inappropriate meet-ups, including one with a 76-year-old man from New Jersey. This controversy marks another episode of Johansson’s image being manipulated without consent. Earlier this year, an AI-generated video falsely showing her condemning Kanye West circulated widely, prompting her to call for urgent regulation of AI technology.
“I urge the U.S. government to make the passing of legislation limiting AI use a top priority; it is a bipartisan issue that enormously affects the immediate future of humanity at large,”
—Scarlett Johansson, Actress
“We must call out the misuse of AI, no matter its messaging, or we risk losing a hold on reality.”
—Scarlett Johansson, Actress
Implications for Privacy and AI Regulation
This incident sheds light on the growing risk of AI misuse involving celebrity images, raising critical questions around digital consent and ethical AI deployment. With virtual celebrity bots being abused for sexual exploitation, stronger safeguards and regulatory oversight appear necessary to protect both public figures and broader society. Scarlett Johansson’s public demand for government intervention underscores the urgent need for legislation addressing these emerging threats.
