EU calls Grok’s sexualised AI photos ‘illegal,’ Britain demands answers

LONDON/PARIS - The European Commission said on Jan 5 that the

images of undressed women and children being shared

across tycoon Elon Musk’s social media site X were unlawful and appalling, joining a growing chorus of officials across the world who have condemned the surge in nonconsensual imagery on the platform.

The condemnation follows reporting, including from Reuters, that X’s built-in artificial intelligence chatbot Grok was unleashing a flood of on-demand images of women and minors in extremely skimpy clothing – a functionality X has in the past referred to as “spicy mode”.

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.

In Britain, regulator Ofcom demanded on Jan 5 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.

X did not immediately return a message seeking comment on the EU Commission's or Ofcom’s statements. In its last message to Reuters on the matter, X said, “Legacy Media Lies”.

Online, Mr Musk has shrugged off the concerns over Grok’s undressing spree, posting laughing-so-hard-I’m-crying emojis in response to public figures edited to look like they were in bikinis. 

Ofcom said it was aware of “serious concerns” raised about the feature. “We have made urgent contact with X and xAI to understand what steps they have taken to comply with their legal duties to protect users in the UK,” a spokesperson said.

Creating or sharing non-consensual intimate images or child sexual abuse material, including AI-generated hyper-realistic sexual imagery, is illegal in Britain. In addition, tech platforms have a duty to take steps to stop British users encountering illegal content and take it down when they become aware of it. 

The statements from EU and British officials come after ministers in France reported X to prosecutors and regulators over the disturbing images, saying in a statement on Jan 2 that the “sexual and sexist” content was “manifestly illegal”.

Indian officials have also demanded explanations from X over what they described as obscene content.

Even as officials in Europe and Asia demanded answers over Grok’s production of nonconsensual images, the US federal government, which is led by Mr Musk’s ally Donald Trump, has yet to address the issue.

Messages seeking comment from the Federal Communications Commission were not returned.

The Federal Trade Commission declined to comment. The Department of Justice did not immediately return an e-mail. REUTERS