Activist Robby Starbuck sues Google over AI-generated defamatory statements
Conservative activist Robby Starbuck sued Google in Delaware state court, alleging the company's AI systems generated false and defamatory statements about him, including claims he was a "child rapist," "serial sexual abuser," and "shooter." Starbuck claims Google's Bard chatbot and Gemma model produced fabricated accusations and cited non-existent sources despite his complaints.
What happened
Conservative activist Robby Starbuck sued Google on October 23, 2025, in Delaware state court, alleging the company's artificial intelligence systems generated 'outrageously false' information about him in response to user queries.
Starbuck said Google's Bard large language model falsely called him a 'child rapist,' 'serial sexual abuser,' and 'shooter,' and falsely connected him with white nationalist Richard Spencer using fabricated sources. In August 2025, Google's Gemma chatbot disseminated false sexual assault allegations against him based on fictitious sources.
The lawsuit stated that Google failed to address the defamatory statements after Starbuck contacted the company in December 2023 when he first learned Bard had made the false Richard Spencer connection.
Reported impact
Starbuck said he has been approached by people who believed the false accusations and that they could lead to increased threats on his life.
Starbuck seeks at least $15 million in damages from Google.
Index analysis
Google spokesperson Jose Castaneda said most of the claims were related to mistaken 'hallucinations' from Bard that the company worked to address in 2023, noting that 'hallucinations are a well-known issue for all LLMs.'
Governance controls
Castaneda stated that Google discloses hallucinations and works hard to minimize them, adding that 'if you're creative enough, you can prompt a chatbot to say something misleading.'
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.