Robby Starbuck Sues Google Over AI-Generated Defamation, Citing Two Years of Unaddressed False Accusations

Conservative commentator Robby Starbuck has filed a lawsuit against Google, alleging that the company's artificial intelligence models, including Bard, Gemini, and Gemma, have been defaming him with a range of fabricated criminal allegations since 2023. The lawsuit, filed by Dhillon Law Group, claims Google's AI generated false accusations of sexual assault, child rape, fraud, and even inclusion in Jeffrey Epstein's flight logs, despite Starbuck having no criminal record. Starbuck stated, "Google execs KNEW for 2 YEARS that this was happening because I told them and my lawyers sent cease and desist letters multiple times."

According to Starbuck, Google's AI not only produced false claims but also "built fake worlds to make its lies look real," fabricating evidence such as fake victims, therapy records, court documents, and police reports. The AI reportedly created "fake 'news' stories" and "fabricated statements denouncing me from President Trump, @elonmusk and @JDVance over sexual assaults that Google completely invented." Starbuck highlighted that the AI routinely cited fake sources by creating "fake links to REAL media outlets and shows, complete with fake headlines."

This legal action comes amid growing concerns over the accuracy and reliability of AI systems. A recent study by 22 public service media organizations found that leading AI assistants misrepresent news content in nearly half of their responses, with Google's Gemini performing the worst, showing significant sourcing issues in 72% of its replies. Another study from Columbia University indicated that AI search engines provided incorrect answers to over 60% of queries, often with "alarming confidence."

Google has previously acknowledged issues with its AI models, referring to instances of generating incorrect or misleading information as "hallucinations." The company has stated it is working to improve accuracy, though some inaccuracies have been attributed to misinterpretation of "nonsensical queries" or user-generated content. Starbuck's lawsuit, however, suggests a more deliberate and persistent pattern of defamation that went unaddressed for an extended period.

Starbuck emphasized the broader implications of the case, stating, "AI must never harm humans. It must never defame or manipulate — no matter your politics." He called for Congress to "reevaluate EVERYTHING Google has been telling them about how they’re working to be unbiased," warning that if Google's AI can fabricate crimes about him, it could "smear ANY conservative tomorrow and rig the information flow during elections." The lawsuit seeks to hold Google accountable and prevent similar incidents from impacting others' reputations and livelihoods.