The British government has criticized Elon Musk for modifications to X’s Grok AI tool, which enables users to modify images.
Many individuals on social media have been utilizing the free AI assistant to digitally undress people, or place them in bikinis or sexual contexts.
Despite the advantages AI can offer, the recent use of Grok has highlighted the negative aspects of this technology, due to the large number of intimate deepfakes appearing on Musk’s social media platform.
The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) has reported that criminals have been boasting about employing Grok to produce child sexual abuse imagery.
However, changes have been made to Grok, and users are now required to purchase a subscription if they wish to access the AI service.
When users request Grok to modify an image, they now receive the following message: “Image generation and editing are currently limited to paying subscribers.”
Downing Street, which has threatened to prohibit X in the UK, has since rejected the recent updates as ‘insulting’ and ‘not a solution’.
A spokesperson stated: “This simply turns an AI feature that allows the creation of unlawful images into a premium service… In fact, it’s insulting the victims of misogyny and sexual violence.”
Science and Technology Secretary Liz Kendall also commented on the issue, emphasizing that Ofcom should ‘use the full powers of the law that parliament has given it’ to ban X in the UK.
“I think the images being produced are despicable and abhorrent and sexualizing images of children is one of the worst crimes imaginable,” she expressed in a statement.
“And I think it is insulting to say that you can still access this service if you pay for it. So Ofcom should use the full powers of the law that Parliament has given it.”
The MP continued: “X needs to get a grip and get this material down, and I would remind them that in the Online Safety Act there are backstop powers to block access to services if they refuse to comply with the law for people in the UK.
“And if Ofcom decides to use those powers, they would have the full backing of the government.”
Sir Keir Starmer, the British prime minister, has urged Musk and X to ‘get their act together’ and address the Grok situation.
“If another media company had billboards in town centers showing unlawful images, it would act immediately to take them down or face public backlash,” a spokesperson for the prime minister added.
In a statement, X said: “We take action against illegal content on X, including Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), by removing it, permanently suspending accounts, and working with local governments and law enforcement as necessary.
“Anyone using or prompting Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content.”