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California Attorney General Rob Bonta has sent a cease and desist letter to xAI, days after his office launched an official investigation into the company over reports that Grok was generating nonconsensual<\/p>\n
If you\u2019ll recall, xAI and Grok have been under fire for taking images of real individuals and putting them in revealing clothing like bikinis upon random users\u2019 requests.<\/p>\n
Bonta\u2019s office demands that xAI immediately cease and desist from creating \u201cdigitized sexually explicit material\u201d when the depicted individual didn\u2019t consent to it or if the individual is a minor. It also demanded that xAI stop \u201cfacilitating or aiding and abetting the creation\u2026 or publication of digitized sexually explicit material\u201d of nonconsenting individuals and persons under 18 years of age.<\/p>\n
X changed its policies after the issue broke out and prevented the Grok account from being able to edit images of real people into revealing clothing. xAI also moved Grok\u2019s image-generating features behind a paywall and geoblocked paying users\u2019 ability to edit images of real people into bikinis, but only in regions where it\u2019s illegal.<\/p>\n
In his announcement, Bonta said xAI developed a \u201cspicy mode\u201d for Grok to generate explicit content and used it as a marketing point. The California AG also said that Grok-generated sexual images are being used to harass both public figures and ordinary users. \u201cMost alarmingly, news reports have described the use of Grok to alter images of children to depict them in minimal clothing and sexual situations,\u201d Bonta\u2019s announcement reads.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe actions above violate California law, including California Civil Code section 1708.86, California Penal Code sections 311 et seq. and 647(j)(4), and California Business & Professions Code section 17200,\u201d it said. The state\u2019s Department of Justice now expects to hear from xAI on the steps it\u2019s taking to address these issues within the next five days.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n