AI chatbot, Grok, has been blocked from creating sexualised images of women and children in places where it’s illegal, said Elon Musk’s media platform, X, on Wednesday. Musk’s company, xAI, says it will geoblock content if it violates laws in a particular place, with the rules applying to all users, including paid subscribers who have access to more features.
“We have implemented technological measures to prevent the Grok account from allowing the editing of images of real people in revealing clothing such as bikinis, underwear and other revealing attire,” X said in a statement.
The announcement followed a global backlash over obscene content created and edited by the chatbot that’s capable of portraying real people in revealing clothes. Many countries, including India, warned of bans if the platform didn’t rollback the feature.
The Grok editing functions were “facilitating the large-scale production of deepfake non-consensual intimate images that are being used to harass women and girls across the internet, including via the social media platform X,” California’s announcement said, with the state’s Attorney General Rob Bonta saying they have “zero tolerance for the AI-based creation and dissemination of non-consensual intimate images or of child sexual abuse material”.
The pushback included an investigation announced Wednesday by the state of California into the proliferation of non-consensual sexually explicit material produced using Grok. Brazil also called for an investigation into Grok’s misuse.
Malaysia and Indonesia took legal action and blocked access to Grok, while the UK and European Union were investigating potential violations of online safety laws. France and India have also issued warnings, demanding stricter controls.
xAI also has limited image creation or editing to paid subscribers only “to ensure that individuals who attempt to abuse the Grok account to violate the law or our policies can be held accountable”.
