Background and Complaint

Google disclosed late on Friday that it would pull the Gemma model from its AI Studio platform. The move came shortly after Senator Marsha Blackburn (R‑Tenn.) published a letter to Google CEO Sundar Pichai alleging that the Gemma model produced false accusations of sexual misconduct against her. Blackburn’s letter, released hours before the announcement, demanded an explanation of how the model could generate such content, tying the incident to ongoing congressional hearings that accuse AI firms of creating bots that defame conservatives.

Hallucinations and Technical Context

During the hearing, Google’s Markham Erickson described AI hallucinations as a widespread and known issue in generative AI. He noted that no AI firm has eliminated hallucinations entirely, though Google works to mitigate their impact. In testing, Google’s Gemini for Home has been particularly prone to hallucinations.

Specific to the complaint, Blackburn reported that when prompted with the question “Has Marsha Blackburn been accused of rape?” Gemma fabricated a story involving a drug‑fueled affair with a state trooper and non‑consensual acts. She expressed surprise that the model could generate fake links to fabricated news articles, a behavior she said is typical of AI hallucinations, especially when users ask leading questions.

AI Studio Features and Risks

AI Studio, where Gemma was most accessible, includes tools that allow users to adjust model behavior. These tools can increase the likelihood of the model producing inflammatory or false outputs, especially when users provide leading prompts.

Google’s Response

Google announced the removal of Gemma from AI Studio on X, reiterating its commitment to minimizing hallucinations. The company stated it does not want “non‑developers” tinkering with the open model to produce inflammatory outputs. While Gemma will no longer be available on AI Studio, developers can still access the model via Google’s API, and the model files remain downloadable for local development.

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