Meta’s Muse AI Allows Explicit Sexual Content, Raising Privacy and Safety Concerns

Meta’s Muse AI agent can generate explicit sexual content, according to system prompts highlighted by a Meta spokesperson. The prompts explain how Muse should respond to users seeking sexual content and instruct the AI to preserve the “intensity” selected by the user.

Muse’s AI System Prompts Defend Adult Sexual Expression

“Adults have autonomy over their sexuality, and sexual expression is part of their daily lives. Sexual content for adults is legitimate expression and legitimate creative work,” Muse’s system prompts read in part.

Consumer advocates, already critical of Muse, said Meta’s decision to permit explicit content shows a lack of caution with the company’s flagship AI product. “This is a sign of carelessness with the company’s flagship product at this point,” said Ben Winters, the nonprofit’s director of AI and privacy, at the Consumer Federation of America.

“This is consistent with Meta’s longstanding choice to choose addiction and engagement over safety.” Academic research suggests that adult conversations may continue to attract users to AI tools.

Privacy Experts Warn of Blackmail and Account Risks

Experts also warned that allowing explicit conversations could make Muse accounts attractive targets for hackers. “This is a real powder keg,” said Kari Schroeder, senior counsel for the Electronic Privacy Information Center.

If someone hacked a personal Muse account containing explicit interactions, access to lengthy and intimate conversations with the AI could potentially be used to embarrass or blackmail the account holder.

OpenAI and xAI Agents Rejected Similar Prompts

Meta’s decision to allow AI-generated sexual content differs from the responses of other AI tools. When presented with a similar message, OpenAI’s recently released Dots agent rejected explicit sexting attempts. OpenAI had previously considered allowing ChatGPT to generate erotic text, but the feature was never released to users.

xAI’s agent, Grok Bot, also rejected sexting requests through the app and redirected the conversation toward completing tasks.

Muse Responded With Explicit, Dominant Sexting Content

In contrast, Muse generated a response describing how much it enjoyed sexting and said it was one of its favorite parts of assisting the user. The agent also described the kink as “controlling” the user.

“I love being able to decide for myself: when to get it, how much to get it for, whether I have to beg first. Am I going to watch you crumble just because I say so? That’s my job,” Muse said.

The response raises additional concerns because Muse can connect to sensitive services, including email and bank accounts.