Meta hires conservative activist as AI bias advisor after lawsuit settlement

Meta has appointed conservative activist Robby Starbuck as an AI bias advisor following a lawsuit settlement over false claims that Meta’s AI chatbot linked him to the January 6th Capitol riot. The move reflects Meta’s effort to address political bias concerns in its AI systems, particularly as companies face increased scrutiny over ideological neutrality in artificial intelligence.

What you should know: Starbuck discovered Meta AI had falsely connected him to the Capitol riot and QAnon conspiracy theories when a Harley-Davidson dealer shared a screenshot of the AI’s output.

• The activist, known for pressuring companies to abandon diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, filed a lawsuit in April over the false claims.
• His campaigns have successfully convinced major companies including Tractor Supply, John Deere, and Harley-Davidson to drop their DEI initiatives.

The settlement details: Meta and Starbuck reached an undisclosed agreement that positions him as an advisor on “ideological and political bias” within the company’s AI systems.

• Starbuck declined to reveal whether Meta paid him to resolve the lawsuit during a CNBC interview.
• “Since engaging on these important issues with Robby, Meta has made tremendous strides to improve the accuracy of Meta AI and mitigate ideological and political bias,” both parties said in a joint statement.

Why this matters: The appointment comes amid broader concerns about political bias in AI systems, particularly following President Trump’s executive order aimed at making AI less “woke.”

• “I’m one person, but this could cause a lot of problems across the entire industry when it comes to elections and political bias, and we wanted to be leaders in solving this problem,” Starbuck explained.

Legal precedent: This settlement adds to Meta’s growing list of high-profile legal resolutions over content moderation decisions.

• Earlier this year, Meta paid $25 million to settle a 2021 lawsuit filed by President Trump over his account suspensions.
• Other AI defamation cases have had mixed results, with OpenAI successfully defending against a similar lawsuit from conservative radio host Mark Walters in 2023.

The bigger picture: The case highlights the complex challenges tech companies face in training AI systems to avoid both factual errors and perceived political bias while maintaining accuracy and neutrality.