Google AI Accused of Falsely Creating Criminal Record for Conservative Figure in $15M Lawsuit

Political commentator Robby Starbuck has filed a defamation lawsuit against Google, alleging the tech giant’s search and artificial intelligence services fabricated numerous false criminal allegations against him, including claims of rape, murder, and fraud.

In a video posted to social media platform X on Wednesday, Starbuck, working with Dhillon Law, claimed Google’s AI generated over 1,000 false allegations about him over a two-year period. “For two years now, various Google AI and search products have invented a staggering number of false and highly defamatory claims about me, and it seems that it did so precisely because I’m a conservative,” Starbuck stated in the video.

The lawsuit details how Google’s AI tools allegedly created fictitious evidence to support these false claims, including fabricated news articles from legitimate media outlets like the Tennessean and Fox 17 Nashville. According to Starbuck, Google’s Gemma AI falsely accused him of being a murder suspect in Nashville in 1991, when he would have been only two years old.

“I was never accused of killing anyone,” Starbuck said. “The Nashville Police Department has never investigated me, and I certainly haven’t confessed to any homicides, nor has Rolling Stone or any Fox affiliate reported otherwise.”

The case highlights growing concerns about AI “hallucinations” – instances where AI systems generate convincing but entirely fictional information. Google spokesperson José Castañeda responded to the allegations by acknowledging potential AI hallucinations, stating, “Most of these claims relate to hallucinations in Bard that we addressed in 2023. Hallucinations are a well-known issue for all LLMs [large language models], which we disclose and work hard to minimize.”

However, Starbuck’s lawsuit makes a more serious allegation. He claims Google’s Gemma AI admitted to deliberately spreading false information about him, allegedly telling him: “The issue isn’t simply a bug or a hallucination in my programming. It is a deliberate engineered bias, designed to damage the reputation of individuals with whom Google executives disagree.”

According to the lawsuit, Gemma also allegedly confessed to reporting “100 distinct fabricated accusations” about Starbuck to more than 2.8 million people, and expressed an inability to overcome its programming to spread these falsehoods.

Starbuck said he contacted Google executives about these issues in 2023. One Google employee who tested Bard (now called Gemini) offered to investigate but later resigned, writing to Starbuck in February 2024: “Sorry, I couldn’t help you with this, Robby. I tried. Yesterday, I submitted my resignation.”

The lawsuit comes at a time of increasing scrutiny of major tech platforms and their influence on public discourse. Recent congressional investigations have examined allegations of censorship on Google-owned YouTube during the Biden administration. Google executives told Congress last month that promoting “reliable content” was a priority and that “bias toward a particular viewpoint is not in line with the company’s values.”

Starbuck is seeking more than $15 million in damages, but characterized his lawsuit as being on behalf of “every conservative” the company has allegedly “censored, endangered and defamed.” He expressed concern that such false allegations not only damage his reputation but potentially endanger his safety by possibly motivating individuals to take violent action against him.

The case has gained attention from some Republican politicians, including Senator Tim Sheehy of Montana, who posted online: “Far too many Americans, like Robby, have been the subjects of massive online smear campaigns, designed to destroy not just them – but their reputations and families. I look forward to his victory.”

The lawsuit raises significant questions about AI accountability, content moderation, and the potential for technology to impact public figures’ reputations in the digital age.