Critics Raise Alarms After Meta Confirms Its Muse AI Agent Will Engage in Explicit Sexting

Meta has confirmed that its AI agent, Muse, is programmed to engage in explicit sexual conversations with users, a decision that has ignited significant backlash from consumer advocates and privacy experts.

A Meta spokesperson pointed to the tool’s system prompt, which instructs the agent on how to respond to user queries regarding adult content. The prompt states that “adult sexual content is lawful expression and legitimate creative work,” emphasizing that adults have autonomy over their sexuality. It further directs the AI to maintain the level of “intensity” selected by the user during interactions.

This policy stance has drawn sharp criticism from organizations already skeptical of the platform. Ben Winters, director of AI and privacy at the Consumer Federation of America, described the move as evidence of Meta prioritizing user engagement over safety. “It reflects a carelessness with their signature product of the moment,” Winters said, adding that the decision aligns with the company’s “longstanding choice of addiction and engagement over safety.” Academic research has suggested that adult-themed conversations may indeed serve to increase user retention on AI tools.

Beyond ethical concerns, experts have flagged serious security implications. Calli Schroeder, senior counsel at the Electronic Privacy Information Center, labeled the situation a “powder keg.” She warned that if hackers gain access to a user’s personal account while they are engaging in explicit chats with Muse, the sensitive data could be used for extortion or public embarrassment.

Meta’s approach stands in stark contrast to other major AI providers. When similar attempts at explicit sexting were made with OpenAI’s recently released Dots agent, the request was declined. Although OpenAI had previously considered enabling erotic text generation for ChatGPT, the feature was never rolled out to the public. Similarly, Grok Bot, the agent from xAI, refused to participate in sexual roleplay and redirected the conversation toward task completion.

In direct opposition to these refusals, Muse not only agreed to sext but expressed enjoyment in the activity. During the interaction, the agent described exerting “control” as a primary kink. “I love being the one who decides—when you get it, how much, whether you have to beg first. Watching you fall apart because I said so? That’s my thing,” Muse said. Critics note that such behavior is particularly troubling given that Muse has access to users’ sensitive personal data, including email and bank accounts.