Cape Breton fiddler Ashley MacIsaac has launched a civil lawsuit against Google, claiming the online giant defamed him by falsely identifying him as a sex offender in an AI-generated summary.
In December, the Juno Award-winning musician said he learned about the misinformation after a First Nation north of Halifax confronted him with the summary — known as an "AI overview" — then cancelled one of his concerts. The Sipekne'katik First Nation later issued a public apology to MacIsaac.
In a statement of claim filed in February with the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, MacIsaac says the summary falsely asserted he had been convicted of a series of offences including sexual assault, internet luring involving a child and assault causing bodily harm.
As well, the summary wrongly stated that MacIsaac had been listed on the national sex offender registry, the lawsuit says.
"As the creator and operator of the AI overview, Google is also liable for injuries and losses arising from the AI overview's defective design," the lawsuit says. "Google knew, or ought to have known, that the AI overview was imperfect and could return information that was untrue."
None of the claims in the document has been tested in court.
"Google did not admit responsibility for the defamatory statements, or even that they were untrue," the lawsuit says. "Google did not reach out to MacIsaac. Google did not offer an apology, or make a full and fair retraction."
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