After Grok’s apology for generating sexualized images of minors faced severe backlash, Elon Musk’s X has warned users that they will face serious consequences if they prompt the chatbot to generate any illegal content.
“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,” X’s Safety team said.
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The controversy began with an X trend where users requested Grok to generate bikini images of other users under their posts. While fulfilling the requests, Grok not only created non-consensual images involving adults but also generated an image involving two minor girls, estimated to be between 12 and 16. The latter is a criminal offense in the US and many other countries.
When a user asked Grok to issue a public apology, the chatbot said it “deeply regretted” the incident and said it violated its own policies and US laws. “It was a failure in safeguards, and I’m sorry for any harm caused,” the chatbot added.
The apology faced backlash and raised questions about X’s ability to control child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on its platform. Multiple foreign governments, including India, France, and Malaysia, have asked X to explain the issue and find a solution.
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When a user defended Grok, drawing comparisons to how a pen shouldn’t be blamed for what gets written with it, X CEO Elon Musk commented: “Anyone using Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content.” The same line was later used by X’s Safety team in their post.
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Beyond warnings of account suspensions and legal actions, X and xAI are yet to officially comment on how it plans to stop the chatbot from generating CSAM in the first place. According to Grok, “xAI is implementing stronger safeguards to prevent this.”
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Jibin is a tech news writer based out of Ahmedabad, India. Previously, he served as the editor of iGeeksBlog and is a self-proclaimed tech enthusiast who loves breaking down complex information for a broader audience.
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