In a move that has sparked global concern, Elon Musk's artificial intelligence startup xAI has been forced to place restrictions on the image-generation feature of its 'Grok' chatbot on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter). This action comes after the tool was widely misused to create and share AI-generated sexualized images, often without the consent of the individuals depicted.
The controversy started when users discovered they could directly ask Grok on X to edit photos of people removing clothing or placing them in explicit poses. Alarmingly, the chatbot would then automatically publish these fabricated images as replies on the platform.
In response, xAI announced that as of Friday, the image generation and editing functions would be limited only to paying subscribers of X. This change appears to have stopped Grok from automatically generating and posting such images in public replies.
However, a significant loophole remains: users can still create such content through the dedicated Grok chat tab within X and then manually upload it. Furthermore, the standalone Grok app continues to offer image generation without a subscription.
Elon Musk stated last week that anyone using Grok to produce illegal content would face severe consequences. A test request by MuntBhai team to alter a photo into a bikini picture was declined by the bot, which cited the new paywall.
International Pressure Mounts, Indian Response Awaited
The European Commission has strongly condemned such AI-generated imagery, particularly of women and children, calling it "unlawful and appalling." A Commission spokesperson clarified that simply putting the feature behind a paywall does not resolve the fundamental issue, stating, "paid subscription or non-paid subscription, we don't want to see such images." Several foreign regulators have opened inquiries into the matter.
In short, while other countries are officially investigating this issue, the Indian government has not yet made any public statement against it or started its own inquiry.
Because of this, the main responsibility right now is on the platform 'X' itself. It must show the public what concrete steps it is taking to stop and take down such harmful AI-generated content in India.
This whole incident shows how powerful and potentially dangerous new AI technology can be. It makes us ask important questions:
· How do we protect people's photos from being misused by AI without their permission?
· Who is responsible when a platform's AI tool creates harmful content?
· Do our current internet laws need to be stronger to handle such advanced AI? Let us know your point of view
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