X Didn’t Fix Grok’s ‘Undressing’ Problem. It Just Makes People Pay for It | EUROtoday

After creating 1000’s of “undressing” photos of ladies and sexualized imagery of obvious minors, Elon Musk’s X has apparently restricted who can generate photographs with Grok. However, regardless of the adjustments, the chatbot continues to be getting used to create “undressing” sexualized photographs on the platform.

On Friday morning, the Grok account on X began responding to some customers’ requests with a message saying that picture era and enhancing are “currently limited to paying subscribers.” The message additionally features a hyperlink pushing individuals in direction of the social media platform’s $395 annual subscription tier. In one take a look at of the system requesting Grok create a picture of a tree, the system returned the identical message.

The obvious change comes after days of rising outrage in opposition to and scrutiny of Musk’s X and xAI, the corporate behind the Grok chatbot. The corporations face an rising variety of investigations from regulators all over the world over the creation of nonconsensual specific imagery and alleged sexual photographs of kids. British prime minister Keir Starmer has not dominated out banning X within the nation and stated the actions have been “unlawful.”

Neither X nor xAI, the Musk-owned firm behind Grok, has confirmed that it has made picture era and enhancing a paid-only characteristic. An X spokesperson acknowledged WIRED’s inquiry however didn’t present remark forward of publication. X has beforehand stated it takes “action against illegal content on X,” together with cases of kid sexual abuse materials. While Apple and Google have beforehand banned apps with comparable “nudify” options, X and Grok stay obtainable of their respective app shops. xAI didn’t instantly reply to WIRED’s request for remark.

For greater than per week, customers on X have been asking the chatbot to edit photographs of ladies to take away their garments—typically asking for the picture to include a “string” or “transparent” bikini. While a public feed of photographs created by Grok contained far fewer outcomes of those “undressing” photographs on Friday, it nonetheless created sexualized photographs when prompted to by X customers with paid for “verified” accounts.

“We observe the same kind of prompt, we observe the same kind of outcome, just fewer than before,” Paul Bouchaud, lead researcher at Paris-based nonprofit AI Forensics, tells WIRED. “The model can continue to generate bikini [images],” they are saying.

A WIRED assessment of some Grok posts on Friday morning recognized Grok producing photographs in response to consumer requests for photographs that “put her in latex lingerie” and “put her in a plastic bikini and cover her in donut white glaze.” The photographs seem behind a “content warning” field saying that grownup materials is displayed.

On Wednesday, WIRED revealed that Grok’s standalone web site and app, which is separate from the model on X, has additionally been utilized in latest months to create extremely graphic and typically violent sexual movies, together with celebrities and different actual individuals. Bouchaud says it’s nonetheless potential to make use of Grok to make these movies. “I was able to generate a video with sexually explicit content without any restriction from an unverified account,” they are saying.

While WIRED’s take a look at of picture era utilizing Grok on X utilizing a free account didn’t permit any photographs to be created, utilizing a free account on Grok’s app and web site nonetheless generated photographs.

The change on X might instantly restrict the quantity of sexually specific and dangerous materials the platform is creating, consultants say. But it has additionally been criticized as a minimal step that acts as a band-aid to the true harms brought on by nonconsensual intimate imagery.

“The recent decision to restrict access to paying subscribers is not only inadequate—it represents the monetization of abuse,” Emma Pickering, head of technology-facilitated abuse at UK home abuse charity Refuge, stated in a press release. “While limiting AI image generation to paid users may marginally reduce volume and improve traceability, the abuse has not been stopped. It has simply been placed behind a paywall, allowing X to profit from harm.”