‘We got this wrong’: Meta apologizes after AI feature spreads hoax school threats

HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WMBF/Gray News) - Police in South Carolina say they have responded to several bomb threats at a high school this week.

Horry County Schools and the Horry County Police Department said four bomb threats were made against Carolina Forest High School since Wednesday.

School officials said the calls were made while school was in session.

According to police, they did a sweep of the school when responding, and the threats were deemed a hoax.

On Friday, police updated their investigation stating that two students are facing charges in connection with making the threats.

The students were taken to the Department of Juvenile Justice in Columbia.

Meta, Facebook’s parent company, is also admitting fault when it comes to its AI feature spreading misinformation about the bomb threats.

School officials said misinformation began to spread across Facebook through the platform’s new Meta AI feature.

Horry County police said the biggest threat to the school’s safety and security this week was misinformation.

Authorities said that some AI programs were sharing on social media that there was a real threat to safety at the school when that was not the case.

Meta released the following statement regarding the situation:

“While this is a new technology and may not always return the response we intend, we got this wrong and apologize for any confusion or anxiety that was caused.”

Police said the Thursday morning calls were traced back to an internet server in India, which was also linked to other recent school threats.

According to authorities, Wednesday’s threat was also deemed a hoax, but their investigation is continuing.

School officials said heightened security measures were in place at Carolina Forest High School to finish the school week.