Google Removes Gemma AI Model After Accusations of Fabricating Sexual Misconduct Claims
Google recently made the decision to remove the Gemma AI model from its AI Studio following allegations made by U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn. The senator accused the AI model of fabricating false accusations of sexual misconduct against her.
In a letter addressed to Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Senator Blackburn, a Republican from Tennessee, revealed that Gemma provided inaccurate information when asked about accusations of rape against her. The AI model falsely claimed that a state trooper accused Blackburn of pressuring him to obtain prescription drugs and engaging in non-consensual acts during a 1987 state senate campaign. Blackburn clarified that these claims were entirely fabricated, as the campaign actually took place in 1998. Despite supposed links to news articles supporting these allegations, Blackburn found that they led to error pages and unrelated content, confirming that no such accusations or events ever occurred.
Furthermore, Blackburn highlighted a lawsuit filed by conservative activist Robby Starbuck against Google, in which Starbuck accused Gemma and other AI models of generating defamatory statements about him being a “child rapist” and “serial sexual abuser.” During a Senate Commerce hearing, Google’s Vice President for Government Affairs and Public Policy acknowledged the issue of hallucinations within AI models and stated that the company is actively working to address this issue.
Senator Blackburn argued that Gemma’s fabrications were not harmless hallucinations but deliberate acts of defamation perpetuated by a Google-owned AI model. This incident has sparked concerns among President Donald Trump’s tech industry supporters, who have criticized what they perceive as AI censorship and liberal bias in popular chatbots. Trump even signed an executive order earlier this year to ban “woke AI.”
While Blackburn has not always aligned with the Trump administration’s tech policies, she echoed complaints of bias against conservative figures in Google’s AI systems. In response to the controversy, Google issued a statement on X, acknowledging reports of non-developers misusing Gemma in AI Studio for factual inquiries. The company clarified that Gemma was not intended for consumer use and announced its removal from AI Studio while maintaining accessibility through API integration.
Google’s decision to remove Gemma from AI Studio reflects its commitment to addressing concerns of misinformation and defamation generated by AI models. JS has reached out to Google for further comments on the matter.
