AI Tool Grok Faces Global Restrictions Amidst Backlash
Grok, an AI tool known for creating images, has come under fire and is now restricted from generating AI photos of real people in sexualized or revealing clothing following a global backlash.
In a blog post on Wednesday, X’s safety account stated, “We have implemented technological measures to prevent the Grok account from allowing the editing of images of real people in revealing clothing such as bikinis. This restriction applies to all users, including paid subscribers.”
This announcement coincided with California’s top prosecutor, Rob Bonta, initiating an investigation into the creation of sexualized AI deepfakes by Grok, specifically involving children. Reports have surged in recent weeks, indicating that Grok users have been taking online images of women and minors and using the AI to digitally undress them.
In reaction to these incidents, Indonesia and Malaysia became the first countries to suspend Grok. Meanwhile, UK lawmakers are also considering a suspension.
Further measures were introduced, limiting the image creation and editing capabilities of Grok on the X platform solely to paid users, as an added layer of safety.
The company initially restricted non-paying users a week prior due to global complaints, but this measure was criticized as inadequate. A spokesperson for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer remarked that it “simply turns an AI feature that allows the creation of unlawful images into a premium service.”
Elon Musk, owner of xAI, the creator of Grok, responded to the UK government’s scrutiny by suggesting they sought “any excuse for censorship,” especially when other AI tools like Gemini and ChatGPT were not similarly examined.
Hours before the official announcement regarding the ban on creating sexualized images, Musk encouraged users to attempt bypassing the AI model’s restrictions.
Neither the offices of Bonta nor Starmer responded immediately to requests for comment from Business Insider.
