Meta makes conservative activist an AI bias advisor following lawsuit

Meta has appointed conservative activist Robby Starbuck as an advisor to address "ideological and political bias" within the company's AI chatbot. This move is part of a settlement reached between Meta and Starbuck, who had filed a lawsuit claiming that Meta AI wrongly stated he was involved in the January 6th Capitol riot. Starbuck has previously led public pressure campaigns against companies with diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, leading to some companies, such as Tractor Supply, John Deere, and Harley-Davidson, dropping their DEI efforts. According to the lawsuit, Starbuck discovered the false output from Meta's AI chatbot after a Harley-Davidson dealer published a screenshot linking him to the Capitol riot and QAnon. The appointment of Starbuck as an advisor comes as a response to former President Donald Trump's executive order to make AI less "woke." Meta and Starbuck have stated that the company has made "tremendous strides" in improving the accuracy of its AI and mitigating ideological and political bias. Other individuals have also attempted to file lawsuits alleging AI chatbot defamation, such as conservative radio host Mark Walters, who filed a lawsuit against OpenAI in 2023. However, a judge dismissed the defamation claim in May, granting summary judgment in favor of OpenAI.