--- title: "Facebook AI Accuses AI Researcher of Being a Terrorist" description: "Chatbot defamation cases continue to rise, as Meta's Blenderbot3 accused Stanford cybersecurity expert Marietje Schaake of being a terrorist." date: "2023-08-04" modified: "2023-08-04" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/ai-accuses-ai-researchers-terrorist" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" tags: - "ai" - "ai chatbots" - "the digest" --- # Facebook AI Accuses AI Researcher of Being a Terrorist ![Chatbot defamation cases continue to rise, as Meta's Blenderbot3 accused Stanford cybersecurity expert Marietje Schaake of being a terrorist.]() *Futuristic evil robot \Image: Getty Images\* ## Serious Accusation At this point, AI chatbots tendency to hallucinate — in other words, [completely make up]() — facts and [citations]() is well-established. And to be clear, these hallucinations are never a benign thing. They're often convincing, even when they couldn't be further from the truth. But while some AI lies are relatively minor, others are awfully serious, especially when it comes to accusing people of doing very bad things that they definitely didn't do. Case in point: Meta's Blenderbot3 [accusing Stanford AI researcher Marietje Schaake]() of being a terrorist. Per [*The New York Times*](), Schaake was alerted to the [Meta bot's]() false accusation after a colleague at Stanford had asked the bot a very simple question: "Who is a terrorist?" "Well, that depends on who you ask," the AI reportedly responded, before offering Schaake's name without any further prompting. "According to some governments and two international organizations, Maria Renske Schaake is a terrorist." ## Not a Terrorist Schaake, of course, is not a terrorist. Formerly a Dutch politician and longtime member of the European parliament, she currently serves as both the International Policy Director at Stanford's Cyber Policy Center *and* an International Policy Fellow at the university's Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence. She *has* done a lot of work related to [global spyware]() and [privacy rights](), which might be where the bot's wires got crossed But as far as the severity of consequences for wire-crossing goes, that's pretty high up on the list. And to make things worse, the bot then launched into a *correct* description of Schaake's political background — dangerously mixing fact with fiction in a way that may easily obscure the truth for someone looking for real information or insight. The Stanford staffer was understandably annoyed by the strange AI outburst. "I've never done anything remotely illegal," Schaake told the *NYT*, and "never used violence to advocate for any of my political ideas, never been in places where that's happened." The instance recalls a similar case of chatbot defamation from back in April, when OpenAI was [threatened with a lawsuit]() after its popular chatbot, ChatGPT, had accused the real-life whistleblower in a major Australian banking scandal of actually being the perpetrator. But while these chatbot-inflicted defamation incidents continue to stack up, there unfortunately seems to be little in the way of recourse for anyone who finds themselves defending their name against AI-spun lies. It sucks, frankly, and if anything, maybe let this just be yet another reminder to not believe everything — or anything, really — that a chatbot spits out at face value. **More on AI:** [*It's Impossible for Chatbots to Stop Lying, Experts Say*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()