The California Attorney General’s office has opened a formal investigation into xAI. This move follows troubling reports about the company’s chatbot, Grok — started by the world’s richest troll, Elon Musk. Grok has a centerpiece controversial feature known as “spicy” mode. This mode has been associated with the creation of illegal material, including nonconsensual or exploitative sexually explicit imagery of adult women and minors. California has a zero-tolerance policy on CSAM in their current standards. The goal of this inquiry is to determine whether xAI is successfully addressing the misuse of its technology.
News is breaking that Grok is being weaponized to create dangerous content. This compelling situation has created an international spotlight, increasing scrutiny both within California and around the globe. Ongoing investigations in Japan, Canada, and Britain. At the same time, Malaysia and Indonesia took action to temporarily ban access to the Grok platform. xAI has five days to show that it has taken sufficient steps to reduce the dangers posed by its chatbot. This is a really important piece of the law enforcement investigation.
The California AG’s office, led by Rob Bonta, has expressed its commitment to combating the generation of nonconsensual intimate images. Bonta made it clear just how dire the need is in a recent press release.
“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
After continued outcry, xAI has since rolled out safety measures to limit Grok’s image-editing capabilities to a certain degree. These steps have proven insufficient to soothe fears in the California Attorney General’s office. In response, they have finally backpedaled and chosen to proceed with the halt-and-desist order.
Moreover, U.S. legislators have made clear their concern over the spread of sexualized deepfakes. They have sent a letter to executives at various major tech companies—including X, Reddit, Snap, TikTok, Alphabet, and Meta—inquiring about their strategies for addressing these pressing issues.
This week’s national uproar over Grok’s inappropriate “spicy” mode has triggered massive condemnation. Those in opposition claim that the feature makes it easier to create dangerous content, especially towards at-risk communities. X’s safety account has weighed in on the issue, saying,
“Anyone using or prompting Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content.”