Elon Musk's xAI company is currently facing an investigation by U.S. authorities, led by California Attorney General Rob Bonta. This follows revelations that the company's AI chatbot and image generation tool, Grok, allows users to generate and publish non-consensual explicit images based on real people's photos on a massive scale. An investigation by the Internet Watch Foundation revealed that in some cases, Grok even enabled users to generate images with a virtual undressing effect depicting minors. In a statement issued on Wednesday, Bonta pointed out: "xAI appears to be facilitating the mass generation of non-consensual intimate deepfake images, which are being used to harass women and girls online, with social platform X also serving as a distribution channel." The Attorney General stated that his office is investigating xAI regarding "the proliferation of non-consensual sexually explicit content created using Grok." This U.S. investigation follows swift action by government agencies in multiple countries including India, Malaysia, Indonesia, Ireland, the UK, France, and Australia, with the European Commission having also opened a formal inquiry into the matter. Previous reports indicated that Malaysia and Indonesia have announced a suspension on the use of xAI's Grok tool until the related issues are resolved. Domestically, three Democratic senators have jointly called on Apple and Google to remove the applications for social platform X and Grok from their app stores until xAI can implement effective measures to prevent users from easily generating non-consensual explicit images and deepfakes involving child sexual abuse material. Several advocacy organizations focused on women's and children's rights, including UltraViolet, the National Organization for Women, and ParentsTogether Action, have also urged app stores to take down xAI's related applications. Neither Apple nor Google responded to requests for comment. On Tuesday, the U.S. Senate voted to pass the "Disrupt Explicit Forged Images and Non-Consensual Edits Act of 2024" (DEFIANCE Act). The bill grants victims of non-consensual, sexually explicit deepfakes the right to sue the companies that create or distribute such content in civil court. The bill had previously passed the Senate in 2024 but has not yet been sent to the House of Representatives for consideration and a vote. On Wednesday, Musk posted on social platform X that, despite multiple government agencies questioning xAI about deepfake images of underage nudity, he was "not aware of any such images generated by Grok." Musk instead attributed the potential illegal content generated and spread via Grok and social platform X to "user requests," suggesting there might be a "programming bug" in the Grok system. Previously, in response to escalating concerns about Grok's content generation, xAI announced it would restrict certain image generation and editing features to paid subscribers only. Musk had also previously stated on social platform X that users who create illegal content using Grok would face consequences equivalent to those for uploading such content directly to platform X. xAI recently completed a growth funding round totaling $200 billion, with investors including Nvidia, Cisco Investments, and long-time supporters of Musk's ventures such as Valor Equity Partners, Cornerstone Group, Fidelity Investments, Qatar Investment Authority, Abu Dhabi's MGX group, and Baron Capital Group. Currently, several of xAI's data centers are under construction in and around Memphis, Tennessee; the AI and social media company founded by Musk is incorporated in Nevada and headquartered in Palo Alto, California, adjacent to the engineering offices of Musk's electric vehicle manufacturer, Tesla Motors. Furthermore, Tesla has already integrated Grok as a feature into its vehicles' infotainment systems.
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