X bans Grok AI from creating sexual deepfakes amid backlash

Elon Musk's social media platform, X, has today announced it will ban its AI chatbot, Grok, from generating sexual deepfake images.

This follows global backlash over its previous ability to undress women and children and generate sexualised images of them.

According to X, it will "geoblock the ability" of all Grok and X users to generate pictures of people wearing "bikinis, underwear and similar attire".

"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," said X's safety team.

"This restriction applies to all users, including paid subscribers."

The decision comes after California's attorney general launched an investigation into Musk's xAI (the developer of Grok) over the creation of "non-consensual, sexually explicit material" which has gained attention over the last few weeks.

Garda National Cyber Crime Bureau Detective Chief Superintendent Barry Walsh confirmed there is an ongoing investigation in relation to Grok, with 200 active investigations into child sexual abuse-related images generated by the AI chatbot.

Government ministers are said to determine the most effective ways to manage content related to child sexual abuse and AI-generated material at a meeting next week, with Minister for State Niamh Smyth calling for Grok to be banned in Ireland if X fails to abide by Irish law regarding the creation of sexualised images.

CEO of Irish internet hotline Hotline.ie, Michael Moran, has highlighted that while this is a step in the right direction, there are still a number of AI engines with little to no regulation.

"The Groks and Geminis and ChatGPTs of the world will moderate, they are the big companies, and they will moderate," said Moran.

"In the background, there are any number of AI engines that have no regulation, that have nobody doing it. "So the functionality is really the key at the end of the day.

"Make it illegal for AI to produce CSAM in the first place."

On January 10, Indonesia became the first country to temporarily block access to Grok entirely, with Malaysia following the next day.

The Ofcom media regulator in Britain has said that it was launching an investigation into whether X violated UK law regarding the explicit photos.

Labour TD Alan Kelly has said X is expected to appear before the Oireachtas committee on 4 February, saying that it would be "unacceptable" if they did not attend.

"I expect them to turn up, I expect them to address these issues," said Kelly. "I think it will be unacceptable if they don't.

"This government and everybody else needs to put in place the legislative basis to ensure that platforms cannot, in any way, shape or form, continue to sexualise or nudify children."