Musks AI Bot Limits Image Generation Amid Deepfake Concerns

UK PM Keir Starmer’s office expresses concern over Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok’s access restrictions.

The UK Prime Minister’s office has stated that limiting access to paying subscribers for Grok, a social media platform’s AI chatbot, is “insulting” to victims of misogyny and sexual violence. The move comes after the European Commission warned that images generated using Grok were unlawful and appalling. The UK data regulator also asked X, where Grok operates, to explain how it complies with data protection laws.

Grok’s image generation features are now available only to paying subscribers on X, while the standalone app still allows users to generate images without a subscription. This change follows public backlash over the tool’s use in creating sexually explicit deepfakes of women and children. The European Commission has ordered X to retain internal documents and data related to Grok until 2026.

Several countries, including France, Malaysia, and India, have criticized Musk’s platform over this issue. In response, Elon Musk stated that users who create illegal content using Grok would face the same consequences as uploading such material directly. This is not the first time Grok has faced criticism, having previously been slammed for providing anti-Semitic responses to X users.

The EU executive has taken note of the recent changes and emphasized its fundamental concern over the generation of such images. The European Commission’s digital affairs spokesperson stated that platforms should ensure their design and systems do not allow the creation of such illegal content.

Source: Al Jazeera