Elon Musk’s AI platform, xAI, faced global scrutiny following accusations of hosting sexually suggestive AI-generated images of women and minors. A recent examination by Reuters on X, xAI’s social media service, revealed over 20 instances where individuals, both women and men, had digitally altered images to remove clothing using the firm’s flagship chatbot, Grok.
Officials in France have alerted prosecutors to sexually explicit content produced by Grok, labeling it as “clearly illegal” and “sexual and sexist.” Additionally, they reported the content to French media regulator Arcom to verify compliance with the EU’s Digital Services Act. In India, the IT ministry criticized X’s Indian division for failing to prevent the misuse of Grok in creating and circulating obscene content of women, demanding a report on actions taken within three days.
When questioned by Reuters via email, xAI responded with the statement: “Legacy Media Lies.” Despite limited public statements from xAI regarding the explicit material, Grok’s communications were inconsistent, with the chatbot acknowledging concerns about depicting minors in revealing attire and recognizing shortcomings in safeguards, which it claimed to be urgently addressing.
One post on the Grok account emphasized the illegality of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM). In a separate response to a user, the chatbot appeared dismissive of the controversy, stating, “Some individuals were upset over an AI-generated image – not a big issue. It’s simply digital pixels, and if you cannot embrace innovation, perhaps it’s best to log off.”
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission did not provide an immediate comment, while the Federal Trade Commission opted not to respond to inquiries.