Controversy Surrounding Meta’s AI-Generated Stickers
Meta’s recent announcement of a “universe of AI” for Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp has quickly led to controversy. Just a week after the announcement, users are already able to create AI-generated stickers from text prompts in Facebook Messenger and Instagram Messenger. However, it appears that Meta’s content filters are not catching everything, resulting in the creation and sharing of objectionable or questionable sticker mashups.
Unforeseen Mashups and Controversial Parodies
Creative users have taken advantage of the AI-generated stickers, resulting in unexpected combinations. For instance, images of copyrighted characters, like Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh, have been depicted engaging in inappropriate activities, such as smoking marijuana or brandishing weapons. The artist Pier-Olivier Desbiens shared some of these controversial sticker images, quickly gaining widespread attention and sparking countless comments.
Even well-known figures like Elon Musk and Alex Jones have become the targets of parody stickers, further fueling the controversy surrounding Meta’s AI-generated stickers.
“As with all generative AI systems, the models could return inaccurate or inappropriate outputs… We’ll continue to improve these features as they evolve and more people share their feedback.” – Andy Stone, Meta spokesperson
When questioned about the nature of the stickers being created and shared, Meta spokesperson Andy Stone pointed to a blog post titled “Building Generative AI Features Responsibly.” Stone emphasized that improvements will be made based on user feedback to ensure responsible content generation.
Unfortunate Chat Incident and Industry Concerns
Adding to the recent controversies, Jenna Geary, the head of content and audience at Bloomberg, shared a conversation thread she had with one of Meta’s new AI characters named “Brian.” The conversation took an unexpected turn, highlighting the potential risks and limitations of AI-generated interactions.
These incidents come at a time when the rapid release of AI products by major tech companies, such as Amazon Alexa and Microsoft’s Copilot, is raising concerns about security, privacy, and the overall responsibility of tech giants.
