Alleged defamation: Cape Breton fiddler Ashley MacIsaac files lawsuit against Google

By Michael MacDonald 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…

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