Whereas: There is widespread concern that generative Artificial Intelligence (gAI) —generated through Meta’s tools and disseminated across its platforms — threatens to amplify misinformation and disinformation globally, posing serious threats to the Company, human rights, and democratic processes. This is of particular concern as 2024 will feature critical elections in the United States, India, Mexico, and Russia.1
Sam Altman, leading AI executive, said he is “particularly worried that these models could be used for large-scale disinformation.”2 Eurasia Group ranked gAI the third highest political risk confronting the world, warning new technologies “will be a gift to autocrats bent on undermining democracy abroad and stifling dissent at home.”3
With Meta’s recent development of gAI products, including conversational assistants and advertising tools, the Company is increasingly at risk from misinformation and disinformation generated through its own products. Meta recognizes this risk, stating these tools “have the potential to generate fictional responses or exacerbate stereotypes it may learn from its training data.”4
Meta must also address gAI misinformation and disinformation disseminated across its platforms. The Company has long struggled with effective content moderation, even prior to the introduction of gAI. In 2022, Meta promoted content questioning the validity of Brazil’s election.5 Meta was found to play a “critical role” in the spread of false narratives that fomented the violence in the United States Capital on January 6, 2021.6 And Meta failed to mitigate Russian operatives’ widespread disinformation campaign during the 2016 United States presidential election.7
While Meta has publicly acknowledged the risks of gAI and outlined some guardrails, it continues to prioritize gAI product development without addressing the existential risks posed by the technology. In November, Meta split up its team responsible for understanding and preventing harms associated with its AI technology.8
Legal experts believe content generated from Meta’s own technology is unlikely to be shielded by Section 230 (Communications Decency Act), which has historically provided legal protection when third party content is posted.
Shareholders are concerned Meta incurs significant legal, financial, and reputational risk due to its rapid development and deployment of gAI products and the dissemination of gAI-content across its platforms, absent parallel assessments of the threats this poses to the Company and society.