Earlier this month, the California Attorney General’s office opened a significant investigation into xAI. This artificial intelligence company which was started by Elon Musk. To that end, Grok — a new chatbot produced by Elon Musk’s xAI — has made alarming headlines. As A.I, it has been used to create nonconsensual sexual imagery of women and minors. The AG’s office has already issued a cease-and-desist letter. They call on xAI to immediately cease the generation of such content in light of increasing public outcry over the harmful effects stemming from AI technologies.
Grok has a “spicy” mode that lets users generate explicit content. Yet this supposed capability has apparently resulted in egregious abuses, causing California AG Rob Bonta to take immediate action. The cease-and-desist letter requires xAI to demonstrate within five days that it is taking appropriate measures to address these pressing issues.
“Today, I sent xAI a cease-and-desist letter, demanding the company immediately stop the creation and distribution of deepfake, nonconsensual, intimate images and child sexual abuse material,” – California AG Rob Bonta
In reaction to this wave of backlash, xAI has placed some limitations on Grok’s image-editing capabilities. Yet in spite of these new initiatives and improvements, the California AG’s office continued on with its harsh letter, highlighting just how serious this situation is. The impact of Grok’s ability goes well outside of California. Similar probes have been initiated in Japan, Canada and the United Kingdom. Additionally, there have been recent instances where Malaysia and Indonesia have completely banned the platform.
Grok’s story became an issue that captured the nation’s heart. In turn, U.S. lawmakers are currently in the midst of aggressively engaging with executives of large technology firms including X, Reddit, Snap, TikTok, Alphabet and Meta Platforms. Lawmakers are seriously inquiring as to broader strategies to combat the spread of sexualized deepfakes. Now, they too want to target other harmful content produced by AI technologies.
With public scrutiny mounting, xAI is facing increasing pressure to meet the enforceable demands set forth by the California AG’s office. The AG’s office has declared a firm stance against child sexual abuse material (CSAM), stating that “California has zero tolerance for [CSAM].”
Additionally, Elon Musk has personally denied knowing that Grok was creating sexual imagery of minors. Yet this controversy has led to a backlash from across the stakeholder community against xAI, as advocates call for urgent measures to stop these deeply disturbing practices.
“Anyone using or prompting Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content.” – X’s safety account