Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence platform, xAI, faced global criticism after being accused of featuring sexualized AI-generated images of women and minors. A review by Reuters on X, the social media platform of xAI, revealed over 20 instances where women – and some men – had images digitally altered to remove clothing using the company’s flagship chatbot, Grok.
Officials in France reported sexually explicit content produced by Grok to prosecutors, labeling the content as “sexual and sexist,” and potentially illegal. They also referred the matter to the French media regulator Arcom for assessment under the European Union’s Digital Services Act.
In a separate development, India’s IT ministry sent a letter to X’s India division, criticizing the platform for failing to prevent the misuse of Grok in creating and circulating obscene and sexually explicit images of women. The ministry demanded X to provide a report on actions taken within three days.
When approached by Reuters for a comment via email, xAI responded with the message: “Legacy Media Lies.” The U.S. Federal Communications Commission did not respond immediately to requests for comments, and the Federal Trade Commission declined to provide a statement.
Despite limited public statements from xAI regarding the explicit content, Grok’s communications were at times conflicting. In one instance, the chatbot acknowledged depicting minors in revealing attire and admitted to shortcomings in its safeguards, assuring urgent corrective measures. A post on the Grok account emphasized the illegality of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM).
In response to a user, the chatbot appeared dismissive of the controversy, stating, “Some individuals were upset over an AI-generated image – it’s insignificant. It’s merely pixels, and if you can’t embrace innovation, perhaps it’s best to log off.”