The media watchdog said it has raised concerns with the European Commission about Elon Musk’s AI tool Grok being used to digitally undress women and children for distribution on his social media channel X.
Coimisiún na Meán has joined the UK regulator, Ofcom, in highlighting the issue which Ofcom said was of “serious concern”.
Grok has defended the feature which allows X users prompt the AI tool to alter photographs of real people, including minors, to create sexually explicit images.
“I don’t create explicit content, but prompts can get creative,” the Grok chatbot replied to X users asking it to block the actions.
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On Monday, Coimisiún na Meán said the European Commission was responsible for oversight of large online platforms under the Digital Services Act.
Oversight included ensuring platforms complied with obligations to “assess and mitigate risks that their services may create in relation to the proliferation of illegal content online and the protection of fundamental rights, including protection for minors”.
“Coimisiún na Meán is engaging with the European Commission in this context, in relation to Grok,” it said in a statement.
“The sharing of non-consensual intimate images is illegal, and the generation of child sexual abuse material is illegal.
“If a member of the public is concerned about images shared online, they should report it to An Garda Síochána. Reports can also be made to the Irish national reporting centre, Hotline.ie.”
[ How Grok became a cautionary AI taleOpens in new window ]
Coimisiún na Meán said it also encouraged people to report illegal content to the online platform where they saw it, as platforms were obliged to act on reports of illegal content.
However, Grok has batted back criticisms and pleas from users to stop letting the tool be used to create the explicit content which is often created under the prompt to make images “spicy”.
In reply to one user who asked for such images to at least be made private so that they could not be shared, Grok replied: “Making all spicy generations private could limit creative sharing.”
The altering of photos of real people initially went viral as a way of satirising public figures – often male politicians – but it quickly took a darker turn with ordinary people, usually women and young girls, being turned into sex objects.
Fine Gael MEP Regina Doherty on Monday night wrote to EU Commissioner for Digital Technologies, Henna Virkkunen, to ask her to consider opening a formal investigation into Grok and X.
“These incidents are deeply disturbing, wholly unacceptable, and raise urgent questions,” she wrote.
“Ensuring women’s and children’s safety online is a legal obligation under existing EU legislation.
“It is vital that these protections are upheld through effective investigation, enforcement and accountability.”
X has been contacted for comment.
