France's AI Ambassador Clara Chappaz has condemned Elon Musk's social media platform X for allowing users to generate non-consensual sexual deepfakes for free in its private Grok area, calling it a "scam". The move comes as the platform faces widespread criticism and outrage over a torrent of deepfake sexual abuse on its platform.
The controversy has led to Malaysia and Indonesia suspending access to Grok this weekend, with France's foreign ministry official indicating that an international response is being worked on. Chappaz hopes the courts will mete out swift justice for what she describes as "totally illegal" use of AI.
In a country like France, where generating non-consensual sexual deepfakes is punishable by up to three years' prison and €75,000 in fines, Chappaz believes that victims should take their cases to court. However, the platform's response has been met with criticism from Chappaz, who says it's "completely hypocritical" to charge users for access to this functionality.
X initially allowed users to generate deepfakes freely, but after widespread backlash, the platform put the image generation function behind a paywall in public-facing replies and posts. However, the tool remains available for free in its private Grok area, which Chappaz sees as benefiting X more than helping victims of non-consensual content.
The change has led to a decline in illicit posts from tens of thousands a day to fewer instances since the tweak was implemented. Chappaz's comments suggest that the platform is more interested in generating income through its premium features rather than addressing the underlying issue of deepfake abuse on its platform.
The controversy has led to Malaysia and Indonesia suspending access to Grok this weekend, with France's foreign ministry official indicating that an international response is being worked on. Chappaz hopes the courts will mete out swift justice for what she describes as "totally illegal" use of AI.
In a country like France, where generating non-consensual sexual deepfakes is punishable by up to three years' prison and €75,000 in fines, Chappaz believes that victims should take their cases to court. However, the platform's response has been met with criticism from Chappaz, who says it's "completely hypocritical" to charge users for access to this functionality.
X initially allowed users to generate deepfakes freely, but after widespread backlash, the platform put the image generation function behind a paywall in public-facing replies and posts. However, the tool remains available for free in its private Grok area, which Chappaz sees as benefiting X more than helping victims of non-consensual content.
The change has led to a decline in illicit posts from tens of thousands a day to fewer instances since the tweak was implemented. Chappaz's comments suggest that the platform is more interested in generating income through its premium features rather than addressing the underlying issue of deepfake abuse on its platform.
! I mean, come on Elon Musk, who needs a private area where you can make sick and messed up deepfakes for free? It's not like it's going to help anyone but the ppl makin' the fake vids in the first place. And now Malaysia & Indonesia are suspending access to Grok, that's gotta hurt X's bottom line 
. I don't get why they can't just take down the whole thing, it's not like it's a game. But no, Chappaz is right, they're more worried 'bout makin' some dough offa premium features than helpin' out the victims. What a scam 
!
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. he needs to take real action to address the deepfake abuse on his platform and make sure it's not happening again 
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. I mean, who gets to benefit from that kind of exploitation? Not the victims, that's for sure. Clara Chappaz is totally on point with her criticism - it's like X is more interested in lining its pockets than actually doing something to prevent this abuse 
. We need to hold these platforms accountable for their role in spreading this kind of content. It's not just about deepfakes - it's about the culture of exploitation and objectification that they perpetuate 
. It's not like it would've stopped the abuse, but hey, at least they got to make some extra cash 
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and then clara chappaz comes along and slaps them for allowing this to happen in the first place 
i mean come on elon u can't just make a profit off people's trauma like that 
meanwhile they're getting slammed by governments & victims all over the world 
Clara Chappaz is straight fire 
her comments about the paywall are totally on point 
I'm soooo mad about this! Like, what even is wrong with X? 
. And now they're trying to pass it off as some kind of solution by putting a paywall on it? 
. Can't X just take responsibility for what's happening on its platform and actually do something about it? 
And let's be real, who do they think they are? Chappaz's right to say they're being completely hypocritical, charging people for access to this functionality when it's basically just a ticking time bomb of abuse waiting to happen. 
It's about time someone spoke up and called them out on this! 
And don't even get me started on the fact that they've basically profited off this mess by charging users for access to the tool in public... meanwhile, victims are still being left to deal with the aftermath. It's like, what's the point of having a policy if you're just gonna keep it behind closed doors? 
This whole thing just gives me so much pause... I mean, can't they see how this affects real people? 
. I feel so bad for those people who are having to deal with this non-consensual content 
. The fact that they were able to make deepfakes freely in the first place is just disgusting 
. It's good to hear that the Malaysian and Indonesian governments have taken action, but it's a shame it had to come to that 
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. The fact that they put the paywall up after all the backlash is like, a PR move or something 
. And now they're just leaving the free version on, which is basically giving them a way to make even more cash without addressing the issue. It's like they're profiting off people's suffering 
. I mean, come on X, can't you just make it simple and charge for everything if you're gonna profit off people's suffering? It's like, your free Grok area is basically a scam 
.