A source familiar with the matter told Reuters that Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, is experiencing a technical emergency after its AI-powered chatbot failed to update and recognize the current U.S. president, Donald Trump.
The source explained that Meta is urgently addressing the issue to resolve the malfunction preventing its AI chatbot from identifying the newly inaugurated president. Although Trump was sworn into office on Monday, replacing Democrat Joe Biden, Meta’s chatbot, as of Thursday, still identifies Biden as the president, according to tests conducted by Reuters.
When asked about the current U.S. president, the chatbot responded: “The current president of the United States is Joe Biden. However, according to the latest available information, Donald Trump was sworn in as president on January 20, 2025.”
Meta’s Response and Emergency Measures
According to the source, this issue has prompted Meta to activate an emergency protocol known internally as “SEV,” which the company uses to address urgent technical issues within its systems.
In an official statement, Meta spokesperson Daniel Roberts said: “Everyone knows that the current president of the United States is Donald Trump. All generative AI systems sometimes retrieve outdated information, and we are continuously improving our models.”
However, the spokesperson did not provide details on the specific emergency measures being taken by Meta to resolve the issue.
Controversy and Increased Scrutiny
The source also noted that this is at least the third technical emergency Meta has faced this week related to the presidential transition in the U.S.
The incident has sparked widespread criticism from social media watchdogs, who closely monitor Meta’s platforms for any signs of political bias, particularly after CEO Mark Zuckerberg attended Trump’s inauguration and the company implemented a series of changes in recent weeks to strengthen its relationship with the new administration.
