Despite usage policies, ads for “AI girlfriends” flood Meta’s social networks

Ads for “girlfriends” generated by Artificial Intelligence (AI) are popping up on social networks like Facebook and Instagram, contrary to Meta’s platform usage policies – which prohibit ads from real sex workers.

According to the magazine’s findings Wiredthe “companions” are chatbots capable of sending texts of sexual content and realistic sensual images, but within the pornographic stereotype, both generated by AI.

AI “girlfriend” ads appear to be thriving on social media, despite Meta’s policies clearly prohibiting “adult content,” including “depictions of people in explicit or suggestive positions, or activities that are excessively suggestive or sexually provocative,” according to The Wired.

In addition to violating Meta’s policies, “AI girlfriends” have also been harassing sex workers. The category claims that their ads are constantly taken down by the platform, which prohibits them from sending nude photos, unlike what happens with “virtual girlfriends”.

Experts consulted by Wired claim that content about sexual education or sexual positivity is also overturned by Meta.

The magazine found 29,000 AI “girlfriend” ads that ran on Meta platforms last year in the European Union, most of which featured sexually suggestive messages.

Among them, the report found ads for Hush, an app downloaded more than 100,000 times on Google’s Play Store and which published 1,700 ads on Meta platforms, several of which promise “NSFW” chats (an acronym in English for “ not safe for work”) and “secret photos” of a series of realistic female characters, anime women and cartoon animals.

According to Wiredat least 13 other AI “girlfriend” apps have promoted similar services in ads on Meta, including “nudification” features, which allow the user to “undress” their AI girlfriend and download the images.

A Meta spokesperson told the magazine that the company prohibits ads that contain adult content and that it is reviewing ads and removing those that violate its policies.