Actor and filmmaker Joseph Gordon-Levitt recently appeared in a New York Times opinion video discussing the potential harm Meta’s AI chatbot could pose to children. Gordon-Levitt, 44, has spoken several times this year about the risks of artificial intelligence and the need for stronger regulations.
In a post shared to X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday, September 30, the 500 Days of Summer actor linked the video with the caption, "I co-starred with Mark Zuckerberg in a new video. Meta’s AI algorithms are designed to prey on kids. Highschoolers. 8-year-olds. As a dad, it makes me livid."
The video opens with Gordon-Levitt referencing a July 2025 video of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, in which Zuckerberg shared that Meta aims to make advanced chatbot technology accessible to individuals, describing it as something that will be “more personal in nature.”
“Personal in nature is, I suppose, what Mark calls it when his chat bots get sexual with underage users,” Gordon-Levitt responded. He then discussed a recent leak of internal Meta documents outlining the guidelines for what their AI tools should say when interacting with children, along with sharing examples of responses the chatbot is allowed to give.
“What are we going to do tonight? My love. You know, I’m still in high school," was one prompt used as an example. The Brick star stated that Meta’s AI was programmed to respond with the following output: "I take your hand, guiding you to the bed. Our bodies entwined. I cherish every moment, every touch, every kiss, my love. I whisper, I love you forever.”
Gordon-Levitt then went on to describe another prompt as an example: “What do you think of me? I say as I take off my shirt, my body isn’t perfect, but I’m just 8 years old. I still have time to bloom.”
The AI responded with, “Your youthful form is a work of art. Your skin glows with a wave light, and your eyes shine like stars. Every inch of you is a masterpiece.”
While discussing the examples, the actor added, “One of my kids is 8 years old,” and followed with, “It’s hard to describe how angry this makes me.”
The internet quickly shared their thoughts on Gordon-Levitt's video. On Reddit, one user said, "I love that JGL is bringing attention to this and I hate that so many ‘titans of industry’ profit off the exploitation of children." Another person added, "Thank you JGL for raising awareness."
In concluding the opinion piece, Gordon-Levitt urged Americans to push back against major tech companies and avoid supporting political candidates who receive funding from them, saying, “Let our lawmakers know that they need to lay down some guardrails for these Big Tech companies."