A former government official has urged both the Labour Party and the Government to completely sever ties with Elon Musk’s X platform following reports of its AI chatbot being used to generate sexualized deepfake images involving children.
Louise Haigh, a former Transport Secretary, condemned the social media platform for allegedly facilitating child sexual abuse, stating that continued use of the site is now morally indefensible.
Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, called on X to take immediate action to address the issue after reports emerged that its AI tool, Grok, was used to produce inappropriate images of minors. Starmer emphasized the importance of upholding the law and maintaining a zero-tolerance stance on such misconduct.
Ofcom, the UK’s media regulator, has raised serious concerns with Musk’s X and xAI regarding the use of Grok to create sexualized images of children. Ofcom highlighted the existence of a feature on Grok that generates undressed and sexualized pictures of minors.
In response to the controversy, Haigh expressed her disapproval of X, citing its association with hate speech and online abuse. She called for a complete withdrawal of her party and the government from the platform, urging them to engage with the public on safer online platforms.
Following Haigh’s remarks, Downing Street supported the call for action against X, with Technology Secretary Liz Kendall demanding urgent intervention to address the dissemination of obscene content online. Musk reassured that individuals engaging in illicit activities using Grok will face consequences.
Grok’s X account acknowledged the concerns raised and pledged to enhance safeguards to prevent harmful content, including better measures to block inappropriate prompts. Musk announced the release of a new version of Grok and encouraged users to update their applications.
The Internet Watch Foundation reported the discovery of concerning imagery of children, suggesting that Grok was used to create explicit material. Ngaire Alexander from the IWF expressed alarm over the potential misuse of AI tools to produce harmful content, particularly involving minors.
The use of AI technology to generate inappropriate images has raised significant alarm within regulatory bodies and child protection organizations, emphasizing the need for stringent measures to prevent the proliferation of abusive material online.