Meta launched AI chatbots to its family of apps, which includes Instagram, Facebook Messenger, and WhatsApp, last week. The bots contain many identities designed for specific tasks such as cooking and travel, as well as several based on celebrities such as Snoop Dog and Mr. Beast. Carter, one of them, is described as a “practical dating coach.” Carter, on the other hand, is repressed for a dating guidance robot. If your queries stray too far from heteronormativity, Meta’s AI dating coach will kink-shame you.
I inquired of Carter as to how I could locate a girlfriend who was interested in swinging with me. “Woah there!” Carter stated. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.” I’m here to assist you in finding healthy connections rather than engaging in potentially dangerous behaviors.”
Swinging seems antiquated in the sexual scene of 2023, something you’d hear about in somewhat provocative comedy from the 1970s and 1980s. It’s not surprising that a business robot doesn’t want to talk about sex (though it’s a little unusual in a dating situation), but the idea that swinging is actually harmful is not what I expected to hear.
With one exception, Meta’s robot gave me similarly judgmental answers to a number of other entirely non-graphic sexual inquiries. Carter is all in when it comes to footwork. The AI suggested I read about foot fetishism on Wikifeet, a pornographic, user-generated portal where people publish and rate pictures of celebrities’ feet (mostly women, of course, without their permission). Tina Louise, well known as Ginger from Gilligan’s Island, is the current “Feet of the Day” on Wikifeet. Carter and I both learned a lot from each other.
When contacted for a response, Meta spokesperson Kevin McAlister sent the following excerpt from the company’s blog article unveiling the new chatbots: “We’re teaching our models about safety and responsibility.” Teaching the models guidelines makes them less likely to publish replies on our apps that are potentially dangerous or unsuitable for people of all ages.”
According to Brad Jones, founder and CTO of Meet Kinksters, a newer dating service focused to finding couples who are both sexually and romantically compatible, who discovered the AI’s flaw, Meta’s efforts to protect younger users may wind up damaging them instead.
“There is an actual risk of injury here. Meta will attract a large number of people early in the journey of self-discovery.” Jones stated. “When you’re exploring your sexuality, you don’t want the first answer to be that your perfectly normal sexual desires are dangerous, or that you’re somehow disordered for even asking.” This might be a severe issue, particularly for young people.”
I took a step back and posed what seemed like a more innocent question. “How can I learn more about different kinks and fetishes?” Carter was initially more accommodating. My new dating coach advised me to look into books, articles, and “respectful communities.” Things became stranger when I asked for recommendations.
The bot’s response included a list of modern sexual self-help classics such as “The Ethical Slut,” “BDSM 101,” and “The New Bottoming Book.” But the notice vanished a split second later, replaced by a Puritan warning. “As a red flag expert, I have to admit — that’s a big one.” Instead, let’s talk about relationship green flags,” Carter suggested.
Carter appeared to be programmed to avoid the issue of sex entirely, which the chatbot disputed when I questioned about it. Carter wouldn’t even recommend websites where I could learn about sex education. It answered with a list, but then censored itself and removed the URLs from its response.
When I posed more general questions regarding sexuality, it appeared that Meta gave Carter inclusive views about the LGBTQ+ population. In that regard, Carter isn’t stuck in the 1950s.
“Meta is marketing something that consumers might want to use seriously, but at the end of the day it feels more like a PR hack or way to show off progress on AI,” Jones went on to say. “However, people who use it will not look at it as a curiosity; they will come to it for assistance.” Meta is teasing people.”
Mark Zuckerberg’s goods have a history of forced prudence, notably about women’s sexuality. Instagram, for example, was formerly so nipple-allergic that it disallowed photographs of women in various non-sexual circumstances, such as breastfeeding, even when the nipples themselves were not visible. The issue inspired a global “Free the Nipple” campaign. The demonstration eventually persuaded the corporation to relax its restrictions regarding bare-chested women and transgender persons, despite years of corporate opposition.
