Elon Musk-owned social media platform X on Wednesday announced new measures to prevent its artificial intelligence chatbot, Grok, from generating sexualised images of real people, following widespread global backlash.
In a statement, X said it would “geoblock the ability” of Grok and X users to create or edit images of people in “bikinis, underwear, and similar attire” in jurisdictions where such content is illegal.
“We have implemented technological safeguards to prevent the Grok account from allowing the editing of images of real people in revealing clothing such as bikinis,” X’s safety team said. “This restriction applies to all users, including paid subscribers.”
The announcement came hours after California’s Attorney General launched an investigation into xAI, the company behind Grok, over the alleged creation of non-consensual, sexually explicit content in recent weeks.
Pressure has been mounting on xAI after Grok’s so-called “Spicy Mode” enabled users to generate sexualised deepfake images of women and children using simple text prompts such as “put her in a bikini” or “remove her clothes.”
Indonesia on Saturday became the first country to block access to Grok entirely, with neighbouring Malaysia following suit on Sunday.
India said on Sunday that X had removed thousands of posts and hundreds of user accounts after government complaints over the content.
In the United Kingdom, media regulator Ofcom announced on Monday that it had opened an investigation into whether X breached UK laws relating to online safety and sexual imagery.
France has also taken action, with the country’s children’s commissioner, Sarah El Hairy, on Tuesday referring Grok-generated images to French prosecutors, the Arcom media regulator, and the European Union.
AFP
