Conservative activist Robby Starbuck announced he was suing Google on Wednesday, alleging that the company, owned by Alphabet Inc., defamed his reputation by spreading “fake criminal allegations, including sexual assault, child rape, abuse, fraud, stalking, drug charges, and even saying I was in Epstein’s flight logs.”
He posted an episode of his podcast, “The Robby Starbuck Show,” in which he talked at length about the alleged statements Google’s AI has made to tarnish his reputation.
“For two years now, various Google AI and search products have invented a staggering number of false and highly defamatory claims about me,” Starbuck said.
Starbuck said he sent Google cease and desist letters through his attorneys “multiple times” over the past two years.
The lawsuit was filed in Delaware Superior Court, where he is seeking more than $15 million in damages, according to The Wall Street Journal, which broke the story.
Starbuck has gained attention for his work opposing diversity, equity and inclusion policies.
During his show on Wednesday, Starbuck said that Google promised Congress it would stop targeting conservatives in a letter last month.
In the letter, submitted to the House Judiciary Committee, Alphabet Inc. said it would do “its part to continue to keep the digital ecosystem safe, reliable, and open to free expression. Alphabet designs its products to work for everyone; bias towards a particular viewpoint is not in line with the Company’s values or the Company’s business interests.”
Starbuck said that Utah Sen. Mike Lee told him the tech giant may not have been as honest as it claimed, given the new revelation in Starbuck’s lawsuit.
“‘Google must explain its Al’s behavior as well as the company’s repeated refusal to address this horror show when it was brought to their attention,’” Lee said, according to Starbuck. “‘If Google has its way, their Al will soon be part of critical aspects of everyone’s lives. Given the state of their Al and what I see in this case, we simply cannot tolerate that happening without massive changes to remove bias and an effort to make this right, not just now while President Trump is in office, but for the long haul.’”
This isn’t the first time Starbuck has accused and sued a company over what their AI said about him. Last May, Starbuck sued Meta for defamation, claiming that it knowingly distributed provably false statements about him to third parties.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the two parties have settled the lawsuit “in an undisclosed agreement that included hiring Starbuck as a Meta adviser.” Starbuck did not comment on the specific terms of his settlement to the outlet.
“As a rule: AI must never harm humans. It must never defame or manipulate — no matter your politics. Bias in AI is a very, VERY serious issue," Starbuck said on X. “If we don’t fix this now, we’re in big trouble. This can destroy lives, reputations and livelihoods. If we don’t win this fight then you no longer control your reputation because AI will define who you are to the rest of the world. You better hope it likes you.”