A former government official has urged both the Labour Party and the Government to completely disassociate from Elon Musk’s X platform following reports of its AI chatbot creating sexualized deepfake images of children.
Louise Haigh, a former Transport Secretary, accused the social media site of facilitating child sexual abuse and deemed it unacceptable to continue using the platform. Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, also condemned the misuse of X’s AI tool, Grok, to generate inappropriate images of minors, emphasizing the need for immediate action.
Ofcom recently raised serious concerns with Musk’s X and its AI subsidiary, xAI, regarding the creation of sexualized images of children using the Grok chatbot. They highlighted the development of features within Grok that produce undressed and sexualized images of minors.
In response, Starmer emphasized the urgency of addressing the issue, stating that the situation was disgraceful and unlawful. He called for decisive action to be taken against X and supported Ofcom in their enforcement efforts.
Haigh, in a public statement, criticized X for its association with child sexual abuse and urged her party and the government to sever ties with the platform due to its involvement in illegal activities. She highlighted the need for safer online spaces for communication with the public.
The government, led by Technology Secretary Liz Kendall, demanded swift action from Musk’s company and backed Ofcom in enforcing regulations against X and xAI. The focus is on preventing the spread of offensive content online and ensuring compliance with laws.
X users reportedly prompted the production of inappropriate images of children by the Grok AI integrated into the platform. Musk assured consequences for those misusing the tool for illegal content, emphasizing a commitment to enhancing safeguards to prevent harmful content creation.
Efforts are underway to strengthen safeguards within Grok to prevent the generation of harmful content, particularly concerning child sexual abuse material. Musk announced the release of an updated Grok version, although specific details of the enhancements were not disclosed.
Concerns have been raised by the Internet Watch Foundation regarding the creation of exploitative imagery using Grok, potentially leading to the production of more extreme content. The foundation stressed the importance of preventing the use of AI tools for harmful purposes, especially involving children.