Meta reportedly taps anti-diversity activist Robby Starbuck as AI advisor

(KRON) — Facebook parent company Meta has reportedly tapped conservative, anti-diversity activist Robby Starbuck as an artificial intelligence advisor. According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, Starbuck has been retained by Meta as part of a legal settlement reached with the influencer.

Starbuck had previously filed a lawsuit against Meta claiming Meta AI had wrongly stated he was part of the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the United States Capitol. As part of the settlement, Starbuck will reportedly advise Meta on addressing “ideological and political bias” in its AI chatbot.

Starbuck, known for targeting corporate DEI programs, said he discovered the claims made by Meta’s AI in August 2024, when he was going after “woke DEI” policies at motorcycle maker Harley-Davidson.

“One dealership was unhappy with me and they posted a screenshot from Meta’s AI in an effort to attack me,” he said in a post on X. “This screenshot was filled with lies. I couldn’t believe it was real so I checked myself. It was even worse when I checked.”

Since then, he said he has “faced a steady stream of false accusations that are deeply damaging to my character and the safety of my family.”

The political commentator and influencer has previously said he was in Tennessee during the Jan. 6 riot.

Last month, President Donald Trump issued an executive order to make AI less “woke.”

“Since engaging on these important issues with Robby, Meta has made tremendous strides to improve the accuracy of Meta AI and mitigate ideological and political bias,” Meta and Starbuck said in a statement. “Building on that work, Meta an Robby Starbuck will work collaboratively in the coming months to continue to find ways to address issues of ideological and political bias and minimize the risk that the model returns hallucinations in response to user queries.”

“In a world where AI is rapidly becoming a part of our lives, ideological fairness and honesty is critical,” said Starbuck in a post on X. “As part of our resolution, Meta and I will work together to make that fairness and honesty a reality.”

Starbuck, a former music video director, has no previous background training AI large language models (LLMs). Previously, he was an outspoken proponent of Donald Trump’s 2020 election denialism, and a promoter of anti-trans, and anti-diversity misinformation.

Meta is headquartered in Menlo Park. Its founder Mark Zuckerberg lives in Palo Alto.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.