Musician Sues Google Over Defamatory AI Summary

HALIFAX, Nova Scotia - Cape Breton fiddler Ashley MacIsaac, a Juno Award-winning musician, has launched a civil lawsuit against Google, accusing the company of defamation through an AI-generated online summary that falsely labeled him a convicted sex offender.

The statement of claim, filed in February in Ontario Superior Court of Justice, alleges that Google's AI Overview feature wrongly stated MacIsaac had been convicted of sexual assault, internet luring of a child and assaulting a woman. It also claimed he was listed on the national sex offender registry. MacIsaac is seeking 1.5 million dollars in damages from Google LLC, arguing the company is liable for harm caused by the tool's defective design. The lawsuit contends Google knew or should have known the AI was prone to producing inaccurate information.

MacIsaac discovered the erroneous summary in December when representatives of a First Nation community north of Halifax confronted him about it and cancelled a scheduled concert. In previous statements, the musician attributed the mistake to online articles about another man in Atlantic Canada who shares his last name.

Google Canada responded in December, noting that its AI...