Overview
- Google removed Gemma from its web-based AI Studio but kept the models available to developers via API.
- Senator Marsha Blackburn told CEO Sundar Pichai that Gemma falsely asserted she faced a rape accusation, citing a fabricated 1987 campaign story and dead or unrelated links.
- In a post on X, Google said AI Studio was not intended for consumer factual queries and that Gemma was designed for developer use.
- Google’s policy lead Markham Erickson acknowledged at a Senate hearing that hallucinations are a known issue and said the company is working to mitigate them.
- The controversy follows a lawsuit by conservative activist Robby Starbuck alleging defamatory outputs and has fueled Republican claims of bias and calls for hearings and stronger safeguards.