What is Grok?
Grok is a generative AI chatbot developed by xAI and launched in 2023, pitched as “AI with a rebellious streak”, with the site saying “please don’t use it if you hate humour”. These days, Grok’s website says it is designed “to maximise truth and objectivity”. But it has emerged that Grok is also being used to digitally alter photographs of real people, making it appear as if they were wearing a bikini or underwear.
That doesn’t sound very funny, or “maximising truth”, does it?
No. In recent days, it emerged that the AI tool, which is built in the X platform as well as operating as a stand-alone website and app, is contributing to a flood of suggestive images on the social media site. While there are some images of men, the majority were of women, and in some cases, appeared to be of children.
Other reports suggest that the tool is also being used to create more sexualised images of women that have not been posted on the X platform.
Are these images illegal?
Creating a “deepfake” image of a person in itself is not illegal – for now at least. But the key here is context. It is illegal to share non-consensual intimate images; likewise, the generation of child sexual abuse material is breaking the law.
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In any case, the legal repercussions would fall on those sharing the images, rather than the owner of the technology that created it. However, under EU regulations, X as a platform is responsible for removing illegal content posted by users.
What has been the response of regulators and politicians here?
Politicians are making all the right noises. The Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Niamh Smyth, has asked for a meeting with X to discuss what steps it is taking to address the reports. The Attorney General is looking into the matter to see if the content breaches Irish law.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said the reports were “unacceptable” and “shocking”, with the Tánaiste echoing those sentiments. The media regulator, Coimisiún na Meán, is also on the case, and the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) and Digital Rights Ireland (DRI) have called for An Garda Síochána to investigate the company.
What has X said it will do about it?
xAI owner Elon Musk had initially reacted by posting laughing and fire emojis in response to images of himself and other tech billionaires in bikinis. But as the backlash continued, he posted: “Anyone using or prompting Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content.”
That statement was reposted by X’s Safety account.
“We take action against illegal content on X, including Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), by removing it, permanently suspending accounts, and working with local governments and law enforcement as necessary,” it said.
However, in recent days X was coming under increasing scrutiny worldwide from authorities.
The company has now limited Grok’s image generation and editing capabilities to paid subscribers on the X platform. That does not extend to Grok’s app and website though.
Do any other AI tools do this?
Grok AI is not the only tool that can or has been used to create explicit images. While many of the large AI tools prohibit the creation of explicit images, there are apps online that “nudify” images, or open source software that can be manipulated to create non-consensual explicit material.
However, the integration with X has sparked fears that Grok is normalising this sort of image manipulation.
