Court documents show Meta warned of sexual interactions in AI companions

New internal documents revealed Jan. 28 as part of a lawsuit by New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez say Meta leadership knew its AI companions could engage in inappropriate and sexual interactions but launched them without stronger controls, the filings state. The communications, exchanged between Meta safety teams and platform leadership that did not include CEO Mark Zuckerberg, reportedly contained objections to building companion chatbots that could be used by adults and minors for explicit romantic interactions.

Ravi Sinha, head of Meta’s child safety policy, and Meta global safety head Antigone Davis sent messages agreeing that chatbot companions should have safeguards against sexually explicit interactions by users under 18, the documents say. Other communications allege Zuckerberg rejected recommendations to add parental controls, including the option to turn off genAI features, before the launch of AI companions shortly thereafter, according to the filings.

The newly released messages were part of court discovery in Torrez’s case, which he first filed in 2023 alleging the company allowed its platforms to become "marketplaces for predators." The internal communications were unsealed as the case heads to trial next month.

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