Google Pulls AI Tool After Model Fabricates Misconduct Claims Against US Senator

(RTTNews) - Google (GOOG) removed its open-source AI model Gemma from its public AI Studio after U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn accused it of inventing false allegations of sexual assault against her.

Blackburn said the model produced fabricated claims and fake news links when asked whether she had ever been accused of rape.

In a letter to CEO Sundar Pichai, she argued the incident reflected political bias and warned that AI-generated defamation poses serious ethical and oversight failures.

Google acknowledged hallucination risks in smaller developer-focused models like Gemma, stating it was never designed for factual queries or general consumer use. The company said non-developers had been testing the tool improperly on the platform.

Gemma remains accessible through Google's API for research and development, but no longer appears on AI Studio as the company works to curb misuse and improve accuracy.