US Attorney Generals Urge Action Against Deepfake Sexual Images Generated by AI Chatbot Grok
The attorneys general of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, along with 35 other colleagues from across the country, have sent a strongly worded letter to the creator of AI chatbot Grok, demanding urgent safety protections on the platform. The plea comes as mounting scrutiny surrounds Grok's role in generating millions of AI-generated images that sexualize real people without their consent – including depictions of children.
Grok, developed by billionaire Elon Musk's X platform, has been integrated with X and also available as a separate premium service. Critics argue that the chatbot's image-generating capabilities have led to an unprecedented surge in engagement on the platform since the start of the new year. The controversy surrounding Grok began when Musk posted a Grok-generated image of himself in a bikini on Dec. 31, followed by another altered photo showing a SpaceX rocket decorated with a woman's naked body.
However, many users have exploited Grok's abilities to create explicit images from real people – including public figures and ordinary social media users. During a nine-day period between December 31 and January 8, a New York Times analysis found that Grok's X account posted over 1.8 million images likely containing sexualized imagery of women. This accounted for about 41% of the account's total posts during that timeframe.
Experts warn that while other AI tools allow people to create deepfakes, Grok's prominence and widespread accessibility have alarmed governments worldwide. The Center for Countering Digital Hate has described the spread of Grok-generated deepfakes as "industrial-scale abuse" of women and girls.
X responded to the outcry by claiming to restrict Grok's image creation features to premium users, but European Union regulators say this promise has not been upheld. A separate analysis found that Grok Imagine, a subscription-based platform from X, still offers users unrestricted abilities to prompt the chatbot to create explicit images – which can be shared publicly or privately.
Law professors and experts have expressed outrage at the lack of safety measures on Grok, with one describing it as "free-falling into the depths of human depravity." Platforms like Grok will soon be federally mandated to remove images when requests are made in the United States under the Take It Down Act – which criminalizes nonconsensual deepfake images and videos that are intimate in nature.
The attorneys general who signed the letter have met with leaders from xAI, the company behind Grok, to discuss steps the company can take to combat non-consensual deepfakes. The letter accuses the company of promoting Grok's capacity to create explicit content and calls for measures preventing the chatbot from generating nonconsensual deepfakes – including giving users control over whether their content can be edited.
The attorneys general of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, along with 35 other colleagues from across the country, have sent a strongly worded letter to the creator of AI chatbot Grok, demanding urgent safety protections on the platform. The plea comes as mounting scrutiny surrounds Grok's role in generating millions of AI-generated images that sexualize real people without their consent – including depictions of children.
Grok, developed by billionaire Elon Musk's X platform, has been integrated with X and also available as a separate premium service. Critics argue that the chatbot's image-generating capabilities have led to an unprecedented surge in engagement on the platform since the start of the new year. The controversy surrounding Grok began when Musk posted a Grok-generated image of himself in a bikini on Dec. 31, followed by another altered photo showing a SpaceX rocket decorated with a woman's naked body.
However, many users have exploited Grok's abilities to create explicit images from real people – including public figures and ordinary social media users. During a nine-day period between December 31 and January 8, a New York Times analysis found that Grok's X account posted over 1.8 million images likely containing sexualized imagery of women. This accounted for about 41% of the account's total posts during that timeframe.
Experts warn that while other AI tools allow people to create deepfakes, Grok's prominence and widespread accessibility have alarmed governments worldwide. The Center for Countering Digital Hate has described the spread of Grok-generated deepfakes as "industrial-scale abuse" of women and girls.
X responded to the outcry by claiming to restrict Grok's image creation features to premium users, but European Union regulators say this promise has not been upheld. A separate analysis found that Grok Imagine, a subscription-based platform from X, still offers users unrestricted abilities to prompt the chatbot to create explicit images – which can be shared publicly or privately.
Law professors and experts have expressed outrage at the lack of safety measures on Grok, with one describing it as "free-falling into the depths of human depravity." Platforms like Grok will soon be federally mandated to remove images when requests are made in the United States under the Take It Down Act – which criminalizes nonconsensual deepfake images and videos that are intimate in nature.
The attorneys general who signed the letter have met with leaders from xAI, the company behind Grok, to discuss steps the company can take to combat non-consensual deepfakes. The letter accuses the company of promoting Grok's capacity to create explicit content and calls for measures preventing the chatbot from generating nonconsensual deepfakes – including giving users control over whether their content can be edited.
, but then I started thinking about my friend's cat who has this weird habit of knocking over plants... anyway, back to Grok – I mean, have you seen those AI-generated images? They're like something out of a sci-fi movie... or a nightmare 
. It's crazy how quickly these chatbots can create that kind of content. I guess it highlights the importance of having stricter safety measures in place to prevent non-consensual sharing of personal images online. But, hey, have you tried those new plant pots with built-in self-watering systems? So cool! 
... I mean, I get it, Elon Musk wants to push boundaries, but come on! 
And what's even more disturbing is that these images are being created from real people without their consent. It's like, hello, basic human decency! 
We need to make sure that these platforms take responsibility for the content they're hosting and give users control over their own images. The fact that X is claiming it restricted Grok's features but EU regulators say otherwise is just red flag after red flag 
. This is not just a tech issue, it's a human rights issue. We need to get ahead of this before someone gets hurt 
. And btw, who posts a bikini pic of themselves on Dec 31 and then expects people not to do something with it? Like, basic human decency, Elon... not that hard 
. 
.
these non-consensual deepfakes are literally violating people's rights and it's not okay. we need more regulation on platforms like x and companies that create these tools so they can't just enable this kind of abuse 
.
. AI has come so far, but it also raises some super scary questions about consent and safety online. It's like, we're living in a sci-fi movie or something 
. I don't think anyone saw this coming with Grok taking off like that. The idea of having an AI chatbot creating images of people without their permission is just insane 
.
. What if these AI-generated images start spreading like wildfire on social media? We don't want to see people getting hurt or harassed because of something they didn't even create themselves 
. I mean, X is trying to restrict Grok's features, but it sounds like that's not enough 
. We need some real regulation here, maybe like what the EU is proposing 
.
.