Large Libel Models Strike Again? Google AI Allegedly Hallucinates Sex Crime Allegations Against Utah Man

From a Complaint in Murray v. Alphabet, Inc., just removed yesterday to federal court, one of the sets of screenshots that the plaintiff says were hallucinated by Google’s AI Overview:

As usual for such libel-by-AI lawsuits, the claim isn’t “Garbage In, Garbage Out,” in the sense that Google is creating a summary from inaccurate online allegations and is thus parroting the inaccuracies. Rather, plaintiff claims that the allegations appear only in the AI Overview, and that the AI algorithm composed the allegations itself.

The Complaint also alleges that,

Since the publication of these statements, Mr. Murray has endured a continual barrage of hostile and accusatory messages, telephone calls, and in-person confrontations demanding to know what “really happened” or accusing him outright of reprehensible conduct. Members of his own family and personal friends have referenced the allegations on numberless accounts, expressing shock, and questioning his character based solely on the information circulated about him. Mr. Murray’s romantic relationship was likewise strained when his partner’s family confronted him about the alleged conduct.

The humiliation has also manifested in routine public settings. Strangers have approached Mr. Murray in local businesses, including stores and gas stations, to question him about supposed “charges” or to make disparaging remarks. Individuals who previously interacted with him without concern have altered their behavior, avoided him, or severed contact altogether. And individuals Mr. Murray had hired to clean his home stopped performing the service when their mother learned of the accusations. She barred her children from coming to his home, called him a “sex offender” and admitted to spreading that label around town before he could even explain that every word published about him was false….

Mr. Murray consistently attempted to explain that the accusations were entirely false; however, many individuals either refused to allow him to respond or, when they did listen, declined to believe his explanation in light of information presented by Google. The statements have shattered both his personal and professional life, with the most immediate impact being financial—lost clients, canceled contracts, and the growing threat of bankruptcy….

For other libel-by-AI cases, see here. For a detailed legal analysis, see this article of mine; it’s three years old now, but I think its analysis remains sound.

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