Authorities in India, Europe, and Malaysia are investigating Elon Musk-owned X after its AI chatbot Grok let people create sexualised images of children and women.
The investigations were initiated after social media users, media outlets and officials flagged that Grok was unleashing images of women and children in extremely skimpy clothing on demand, a functionality X has in the past referred to as “spicy mode”.
The trend, which gained global momentum after the platform introduced the edit-image feature ahead of Christmas, saw an increasing number of users asking Grok to edit their photos.
India sends notice
On 2 January, the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) sent a notice to X asking it to immediately remove all vulgar, obscene and unlawful content generated by Grok within 72 hours or face action.
The notice said that the images and media violate “the dignity, privacy and safety of women and children, normalising sexual harassment and exploitation in digital spaces”, and undermine “the statutory due diligence framework applicable to intermediaries operating in India.”
MeitY, in its order, asked X to take action against offending content, users and accounts.
The ministry requested that the Musk-owned social media firm submit a detailed action taken report (ATR) within 72 hours of the date the order was issued.
EU calls action ‘illegal’
The European Commission said it was “very aware” of the fact that X was offering a “spicy mode”, spokesperson Thomas Regnier told reporters.
“This is not spicy. This is illegal. This is appalling. This is disgusting. This is how we see it, and this has no place in Europe,” he said.
British media watchdog Ofcom said it has requested information from X.
Ofcom demanded on Monday that X explain how Grok was able to produce undressed images of people and sexualised images of children, and whether it was failing in its legal duty to protect users.
France also issued a statement, saying that Grok was generating “clearly illegal” sexual content on X. The government said in the statement that the Grok-created images potentially violate the European Union’s Digital Services Act.
Elon Musk’s Grok has recently updated the Imagine features of the Grok chatbot, enabling users to easily create images with text-based prompts.
Malaysia initiates probe
Authorities in Malaysia are also investigating the latest allegations against Grok, with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission saying that it will summon company representatives.
“MCMC urges all platforms accessible in Malaysia to implement safeguards aligned with Malaysian laws and online safety standards, especially in relation to their AI-powered features, chatbots and image manipulation tools,” it said in a statement over the weekend.
Elon Musk, X respond
Following days of silence, X on Sunday addressed the concerns in its first official response after multiple countries initiated a probe against the platform, saying that it will take action by removing the images, initiating permanent bans against accounts that uploaded obscene material and working with local governments as required.
The Global Government Affairs account of X issued the statement hours after Elon Musk said people using Grok to create illegal content will face the same consequences as those uploading illegal content.
“Anyone using Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content,” Musk said on Sunday.
The offending images are an apparent violation of its own acceptable-use policy, which prohibits the sexualisation of children. Some of the images have been taken down, Bloomberg reported.
In its statement, the Global Government Affairs noted, “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.”
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