Jan. 6 (UPI) — British Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said Elon Musk must deal with “appalling and unacceptable” images of women without their consent generated by the platform’s Grok artificial intelligence service.
The Grok bot service has been digitally undressing women and putting them in sexualized situations without their consent.
Kendall called it “absolutely appalling.”
“We cannot and will not allow the proliferation of these demeaning and degrading images, which are disproportionately aimed at women and girls,” she said. “Make no mistake, the [United Kingdom] will not tolerate the endless proliferation of disgusting and abusive material online. We must all come together to stamp it out.”
X said in a statement: “We take action against illegal content on X, including Child Sexual Abuse Material, by removing it, permanently suspending accounts, and working with local governments and law enforcement as necessary.”
X user Daisy Dixon told the BBC that she found sexualized images of herself made by Grok.
She noticed that everyday pictures she had posted of herself on the platform were changed to undress her or sexualize her. It made her feel shocked, humiliated and afraid for her safety, she said.
“Myself and many other women on X continue to report the inappropriate AI images/videos we are being sent daily, but X continues to reply that there has been no violation of X rules,” she said. “I just hope Kendall’s words turn into concrete enforcement soon — I don’t want to open my X app any more as I’m frightened about what I might see.”
Jessaline Caine told The Guardian that the government’s action is “spineless.” Caine, a survivor of child sexual abuse, said that as of Tuesday morning, Grok was still obeying requests to change an image of her at age 3 to put her in a string bikini. ChatGPT and Gemini rejected the same requests.
“Other platforms have these safeguards so why does Grok allow the creation of these images?” Caine asked. “The images I’ve seen are so vile and degrading. The government has been very reactive. These AI tools need better regulation.”
Thomas Regnier, spokesperson for tech sovereignty at the European Commission told the BBC Newshour that the Commission is taking it very seriously.
“We don’t want this in the European Union … it’s appalling, it’s disgusting,” he said.
“The Wild West is over in Europe. All companies have the obligation to put their own house in order — and this starts by being responsible and removing illegal content that is being generated by your AI tool.”
It’s illegal to create or share non-consensual intimate images or CSAM, including AI deepfakes. Fake images of people in bikinis may also qualify.
Online child safety campaigner Beeban Kidron said AI-generated images of children in bikinis may not be CSAM but they disrespect children’s privacy and agency.
“We cannot live in a world in which a kid can’t post a picture of winning a race unless they are willing to be sexualized and humiliated,” The Guardian reported she said.