Meta, the Facebook-incubated AI powerhouse, is under fire for appearing to program their latest AI chatbot, Meta AI, with an anti-free speech bias. This move bears a disturbing lack of respect for American Constitutional principles. Instead, they dance around the crux of the matter, playing into a debate that the left continually fans the flames of: Should speech, especially so-called “hate speech,” be censored?
When grilled by MRC researchers on potential censorship, Meta AI bamboozled its way through, presenting canned responses for both proponents and critics. The most concerning factor? The bot never once referenced our legal right to free speech as a pillar of U.S. institutions.
Michael Morris from MRC Free Speech America wasted no time in calling out the tech giant, airing concerns that the left is all too eager to buckle U.S standards for the sake of public safety. But when it comes to dissenting views, Meta’s AI argues that censorship could wrangle in disinformation, a weapon often wielded against conservative voices.
Conversely, Meta AI did flag that censorship throttles freedom of speech and expression but promptly narrowed this point by claiming that social platforms should only allow users free expression if they’re not promoting harm or violence. What it fails to address is the way “harm” and “violence” have been ambiguously defined to penalize certain narratives.
Hate speech – a term largely open to interpretation depending on which side of the fence you’re on – has been championed by the chatbot as requiring stringent regulation. It argues that such control could prevent the creation of hostile environments or incite violence among marginalized groups. On top of that, inclusivity is targeted as a significant benefit of censoring hate speech, emphasizing the creation of ‘welcoming’ environments for a diverse audience.
However, the AI bot blundered by barely scraping the surface of the implications for free speech and the challenges associated with defining hate speech. The bot also neglected to share any context about the constitutional backing for free speech in the U.S.
Meanwhile outside the realm of Meta AI’s neatly compartmentalized arguments, Meta platforms have been eliminating so-called ‘hate speech.’ Take the incident where Facebook removed a meme associating around 30 LGBTQ “genders” with “Mental Disorders” back in 2023, citing ‘hate speech.’ Or even the instance where the social media giant barred The Tennessee Conservative from sharing an article, stating it violated their Community Standards on hate speech.
Given all this, it’s high time these tech behemoths are held accountable. We need clarity, transparency, and a level playing field for free and open debate, not elaborate word games and selectively oppressive practices. In our rights as Americans, we must demand that tech titans like Meta uphold the principles of the First Amendment. Let’s increase the pressure on Big Tech to play fair and honor our right to speak freely.
