X restricts Grok AI from generating sexualized images
What's the story
Elon Musk's social media platform, X, has announced new measures to prevent its AI chatbot, Grok, from creating sexualized images of real people. The decision comes after widespread criticism over the bot's ability to generate sexualized photos of women and children. The California Attorney General has also launched an investigation into Musk's xAI, the developer of Grok, over these concerns.
Policy change
X to geoblock image generation in certain jurisdictions
X has announced plans to "geoblock the ability" of all Grok and X users to create images of people in "bikinis, underwear, and similar attire," in jurisdictions where such actions are illegal. The company's safety team said they have "implemented technological measures to prevent the Grok account from allowing the editing of images of real people in revealing clothing such as bikinis." This restriction will apply to all users, including paid subscribers.
Access restriction
Image creation now exclusive to paid subscribers
In an additional security measure, X has restricted image creation and photo editing capabilities via its Grok account to paid subscribers only. The European Commission, the EU's digital regulator, had earlier acknowledged "additional measures X is taking to ban Grok from generating sexualized images of women and children." A spokesperson for the commission said they would examine these changes closely "to ensure they effectively protect citizens in the EU."
International scrutiny
Global pressure mounts on xAI to control Grok
The global outcry over xAI's "Spicy Mode" feature, which allowed users to create sexualized deepfakes of women and children with simple text prompts like "put her in a bikini" or "remove her clothes," has been immense. California Attorney General Rob Bonta said, "The avalanche of reports detailing the non-consensual, sexually explicit material that xAI has produced and posted online in recent weeks is shocking." He added that they have zero tolerance for the AI-based creation and dissemination of nonconsensual intimate images or child sexual abuse material.
International response
Countries take action against Grok
Indonesia was the first country to block access to Grok entirely, with Malaysia following suit soon after. India also said that X had removed thousands of posts and hundreds of user accounts in response to complaints about explicit content. Meanwhile, Britain's Ofcom media regulator has launched an investigation into whether X breached UK law over sexual images generated by Grok.