Ashley MacIsaac ends defamation lawsuit against Google

Nova Scotia musician Ashley MacIsaac has ended his civil defamation lawsuit against Google in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice. The Juno Award-winning fiddler had filed the suit earlier this year, seeking $1.5 million in damages.

MacIsaac alleged that Google’s “AI overview” feature falsely identified him as a sex offender. The AI-generated summary incorrectly claimed he had been convicted of various offenses, including sexual assault and internet luring, and wrongly stated he was listed on a national sex offender registry. The musician noted that the misinformation led to a cancelled concert after being confronted by the Sipekne’katik First Nation, which later issued a public apology.

The lawsuit had argued that Google was liable for losses resulting from the “defective design” of its AI overview. A notice of discontinuance was filed on July 29 to end the legal proceedings, though no further details regarding the withdrawal were provided.