Meta has announced a collaboration with conservative influencer Robby Starbuck to address what it calls “ideological bias” in its AI systems. The move is part of a settlement between the company and Starbuck, who had sued Meta for $5 million, alleging that its AI chatbot falsely claimed he attended the January 6 Capitol events.
Under the agreement, Starbuck will serve as an advisor to Meta’s developers, providing feedback on how to reduce political bias in AI tools. While Starbuck has no formal experience in AI development or large language model training, Meta says his involvement will help “mitigate” bias and make its models “more accurate.”
Political Context and Federal Backing
The announcement follows President Trump’s unveiling of a federal AI Action Plan and an executive order targeting what conservative groups call “Woke AI.” The order aims to prevent AI systems from promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, which some conservatives argue introduce political bias into AI outputs.
Starbuck has previously advised the FCC and Commissioner Brendan Carr on rolling back DEI and equal opportunity measures in telecommunications, including withholding FCC approvals from companies that did not align with administration mandates.
A former music video director, Starbuck has built a large online following for campaigns targeting companies with diversity policies, urging boycotts or policy reversals. He frequently posts content criticizing gender-affirming healthcare for trans youth, refers to liberal commentators in derogatory terms, and frames DEI initiatives as harmful to men. He is also a visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation, a think tank connected to the Project 2025 policy agenda.
Meta’s Policy Shift
Even before the latest executive orders, Meta had already scaled back DEI programs and certain protections for marginalized groups, including LGBTQ communities, women, and people of color. Founder Mark Zuckerberg has increasingly aligned company policies with “free speech” arguments favored by the current administration. This shift included a $1 million company donation to the Trump campaign.
Meta said in a statement: “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.”
What The Author Thinks
This move is less about making AI truly neutral and more about redefining “neutrality” through a political lens. By choosing an advisor whose brand is rooted in partisan advocacy, Meta risks swapping one form of perceived bias for another. Instead of building consensus around fairness in AI, the company may be cementing ideological divides into its technology.
Featured image credit: Muhammad Asyfaul via Unsplash
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