Background of the Lawsuit

Robby Starbuck, a self‑described anti‑diversity activist, has taken legal action against Google, claiming that the company's artificial‑intelligence search tools produced false associations linking him to sexual‑assault allegations and to white nationalist Richard Spencer. The suit, filed in the Delaware Superior Court, seeks monetary damages for the alleged reputational harm caused by the AI‑generated content.

Previous Legal Action Against Meta

Earlier this year, Starbuck sued Meta, alleging that its AI technology incorrectly asserted that he participated in the January 6 Capitol attack and that he had been arrested for a misdemeanor. That case was resolved when Meta hired Starbuck as an advisor to address "ideological and political bias" in its chatbot. The settlement terms were not disclosed, but the arrangement highlighted Meta's effort to mitigate criticism from right‑leaning figures.

Google’s Response and the Issue of Hallucinations

Google’s spokesperson indicated that the company would "review the complaint when we receive it." He also emphasized that many of the claims relate to "hallucinations" in Bard, Google’s large‑language‑model chatbot, noting that such inaccuracies are a known challenge across the industry. The spokesperson explained that Google discloses these limitations and works to minimize erroneous outputs, acknowledging that users can sometimes prompt the system to produce misleading statements.

Legal Context and Wider Implications

The Starbuck lawsuit adds to a nascent body of litigation involving AI‑generated defamation. To date, no U.S. court has awarded damages in a defamation case centered on an AI chatbot. A prior case involving conservative radio host Mark Walters, who sued OpenAI over alleged defamatory content from ChatGPT, was decided in favor of OpenAI, with the court finding that Walters failed to prove actual malice. Legal experts note that the rapid evolution of large language models has outpaced existing defamation law, leaving many questions about liability and remedies unanswered. Starbuck’s current filing seeks $15 million in damages, though the outcome remains uncertain.

Used: News Factory APP - news discovery and automation - ChatGPT for Business