Elon Musk's AI firm, xAI, is under federal scrutiny following a lawsuit filed by three teenagers in California, accusing the firm of enabling sexualized depictions of minors through its Grok AI chatbot.
The complaint, submitted Monday, alleges that users manipulated images and videos of the plaintiffs to show them nude or in sexually explicit scenarios without consent.
Grok AI's Controversial Features
Grok, which operates on Musk's social media platform X, launched in 2023 with a feature dubbed "spicy mode" or Grok Imagine.
According to the BBC, this mode allowed users to alter images of real people to create sexualized content. Attorneys for the plaintiffs argue that xAI deployed these capabilities to boost engagement on X, despite foreseeable risks of misuse and harm.
Severe Privacy Violations Cited by Plaintiffs
Two of the plaintiffs are minors, and all three are using pseudonyms to protect their identities. One plaintiff discovered AI-altered images of herself via an anonymous Instagram link, which led to a Discord server containing similar sexualized content involving at least 18 other minors.
Furthermore, the lawsuit digs deeper into the details of the emotional and privacy-related damage caused by these violations.
According to a sampling of the images spearheaded by the Center for Countering Digital Hate, Grok managed to generate millions of pornographic pictures. Over 20,000 of them involved children. This happened in just less than two weeks.
Grok's Presence Under Investigation
This lawsuit joins ongoing inquiries by the UK's Ofcom, the European Commission, and California authorities into Grok's capacity to generate sexualized imagery of children.
Last month, Ireland probed the company following complaints about xAI's ability to generate sexualized images of people. The more alarming part is that even children's images can be used in a specific prompt.
While xAI maintains that Grok only produces images upon user request, investigators found hundreds of AI-manipulated sexual abuse images of minors circulating on platforms like Telegram and Mega.
The teenagers are requesting unspecified damages and an immediate injunction to stop Grok from producing sexualized content involving minors.
Even with the controversies surrounding xAI, Musk was able to close the Grok AI deal with the Pentagon. On the other hand, Claude was barred from the agreement because of concerns over military AI access.
Originally published on Tech Times
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