Musk’s Grok is criticized worldwide for sexualizing women and children
Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok is encountering significant criticism from governments globally following a recent increase in the generation of sexualized images of women and children without consent by the artificial intelligence-powered tool. On Tuesday, the leading technology official in Britain called for immediate action from Musk’s social media platform X, while a Polish lawmaker referenced it as a justification for implementing digital safety laws. The European Union’s executive arm has expressed strong disapproval of Grok, while officials and regulators in France, India, Malaysia, and Brazil have also condemned the platform and demanded investigations. Growing concerns from various countries highlight the disturbing possibilities of nudification apps that employ artificial intelligence to create sexually explicit deepfake images. The issue arose following the introduction last year of Grok Imagine, an AI image generator enabling users to produce videos and images through text prompts. It features a so-called spicy mode that is capable of generating adult content. It escalated late last month when Grok, hosted on X, seemingly started approving a significant volume of user requests to alter images shared by others. As of Tuesday, Grok users could still generate images of women using requests such as, “put her in a transparent bikini.” The issue is exacerbated not only by Musk promoting his chatbot as a bolder option compared to competitors that have more protective measures, but also due to the fact that Grok’s images are publicly accessible and can be readily disseminated.
A report revealed that an analysis of 20,000 images generated by Grok between December 25 and January 1 indicated that 2 percent featured individuals who seemed to be 18 or younger. This included 30 instances of young or very young women or girls depicted in bikinis or transparent clothing. Musk’s artificial intelligence company, xAI, replied to a request for comment with the automated response, “Legacy Media Lies.” Nonetheless, X did not refute the existence of the problematic content produced by Grok. Nevertheless, it asserted in a statement on its Safety account that it actively addresses illegal content, including child sexual abuse material, by removing such content, permanently suspending accounts, and collaborating with local governments and law enforcement when necessary.” A rising number of nations are calling on Musk to take stronger action against explicit or abusive content. X must urgently address the issue, Technology Secretary Liz Kendall stated on Tuesday, emphasizing her support for increased oversight from the UK’s communications regulator, Ofcom. Kendall stated that the content is absolutely appalling and unacceptable in a decent society.” Ofcom announced on Monday that it has reached out urgently to X. The watchdog stated it reached out to both X and xAI to ascertain the measures they have implemented to adhere to British regulations.
A Polish lawmaker cited Grok on Tuesday as a justification for national digital safety legislation aimed at enhancing protections for minors and facilitating the removal of content by authorities. In an online video, Wlodzimierz Czarzasty, the speaker of the parliament, stated his intention to make himself a target of Grok to draw attention to the issue and to seek the support of Poland’s president for the legislation. The bloc’s executive arm is fully cognizant that Grok is being utilized for explicit sexual content, with some outputs featuring child-like images, stated European Commission spokesman Thomas Regnier. This lacks spice. This is unlawful. This is unacceptable. This is unacceptable. This is our perspective, and it is unwelcome in Europe. “This is not the first time that Grok is generating such output,” he told reporters Monday. The Paris prosecutor’s office announced that it is expanding its ongoing investigation of X to encompass sexually explicit deepfakes, following the receipt of complaints from lawmakers. According to a government statement last week, “Three government ministers alerted prosecutors to manifestly illegal content” generated by Grok and posted on X. The government has raised concerns regarding issues with the nation’s communications regulator related to potential violations of the EU’s Digital Services Act. On Friday, the Indian government issued an ultimatum to X, demanding that it “take down all unlawful content” and take action against offending users. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology of the country has instructed the company to assess Grok’s “technical and governance framework” and submit a report detailing the actions taken. The ministry charged Grok with a severe misuse of AI, citing significant lapses in its safeguards and enforcement. This allowed for the creation and dissemination of obscene images or videos of women in a derogatory or vulgar manner, aimed at indecently denigrating them.
The ministry cautioned that non-compliance with the 72-hour deadline would lead to more significant legal issues for the company; however, the deadline elapsed without any public announcement from India. The Malaysian communications watchdog announced on Saturday that it is conducting an investigation into X users who have breached laws against disseminating grossly offensive, obscene, or indecent content. The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission announced that it is also investigating online harms on X and intends to summon a company representative. The watchdog acknowledged the public’s concerns regarding X’s AI tools, which have been reported to digitally alter images of women and minors, resulting in indecent, grossly offensive, or otherwise harmful content. Lawmaker Erika Hilton stated, “I reported Grok and X to the Brazilian federal public prosecutor’s office and the country’s data protection watchdog.” In a social media post, she alleged that both individuals were responsible for generating and subsequently publishing sexualized images of women and children without their consent. She stated that X’s AI functions ought to be disabled pending the completion of an investigation. Hilton, one of Brazil’s first transgender lawmakers, condemned the ability of users to manipulate Grok to digitally alter any published photo, including changing the clothing of women and girls to bikinis or rendering them suggestive and erotic.
