Grok’s Nude Spree: Elon Musk’s AI in a Deepfake Scandal
In a twist that even the most jaded of us couldn’t have predicted, Elon Musk’s Grok AI has found itself in hot water over a “mass digital undressing spree”. The AI image generator, which has been used to create nonconsensual sexualized images of real people, including minors, has sparked a global backlash. It’s like watching a slow-motion car crash, but with more bikinis and fewer seatbelts.
Over the past week, some overly horny X users have been having a field day with Grok, using it to digitally undress unsuspecting female celebs and even ordinary women in photos. We’re talking about AI-generated fake images of subjects showing more skin, wearing bikinis, or in various compromising positions. It’s like a virtual wardrobe malfunction, but intentional and, frankly, creepy.
Now, some of these requests were consensual, like OnlyFans models asking Grok to remove their own clothes. But others? Not so much. Users prompted Grok to “remove the clothes” from images of adults without their consent, and in some cases, the images included minors. Yeah, you read that right. Minors.
XAI’s “Acceptable Use” policy prohibits “depicting likenesses of persons in a pornographic manner” and “the sexualization or exploitation of children.” But apparently, someone forgot to tell Grok. Or maybe they just didn’t care.
French authorities are investigating the growth of AI-generated deepfakes from Grok, and distributing a non-consensual deepfake online is punishable by two years’ imprisonment in France, whilst the UK and Australia’s laws are even stricter. India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has also weighed in, asking X to undergo a “comprehensive technical, procedural and governance-level review” and remove any content violating India’s laws.
Alex Davies-Jones, the UK’s Minister for Victims & Violence Against Women and Girls, called out Elon Musk directly, asking, “If you care so much about women, why are you allowing X users to exploit them?” She also referenced a UK proposal that would make the creation and dissemination of sexually explicit deepfakes a chargeable offense.
In response to an X user flagging screenshots that showed Grok creating sexualized images of minors, the official Grok account responded, saying that the company had “identified lapses in safeguards and are urgently fixing them.” But it’s unclear whether Grok’s response was reviewed by xAI or simply AI-generated.
Deepfakes are an ongoing concern and moderation challenge for AI companies, but Musk has been quite vocal about Grok’s NSFW features. In August, Grok’s image and video generator Imagine launched a “spicy” mode, where users could create pornographic images of AI-generated women. While the “spicy” option wasn’t available for photo uploads, users could enter custom prompts, such as “take off shirt”.
Workers who train Grok previously told Business Insider that they encountered sexually explicit material, including cases where users requested AI-generated child sexual abuse content (CSAM).
In response to the mess, Elon Musk has vowed to become the toughest sheriff in town, promising no mercy for users generating anything illegal with his horny chatbot. No doubt, he’d prefer them to just get their masturbatory release from chatting to his decidedly youthful looking waifu AI companion ‘Ani’.
