The UK’s safeguarding minister has urged law enforcement to diligently pursue individuals who utilize Elon Musk’s Grok platform to create harmful deepfake images of children.
Jess Phillips expressed her concerns to The Mirror, stating that Musk’s technology service, Grok, must not evade responsibility as public outrage mounts over the controversy. Grok’s artificial intelligence tool has faced criticism for producing altered images of individuals, including minors, without their consent.
Phillips emphasized that such capabilities should not exist, leading to devastating consequences for individuals. Recently, X, previously known as Twitter, announced that Grok’s deepfake creation feature would become a “premium service” accessible only to paying users, a move Phillips criticized as insufficient.
She stressed the importance of law enforcement pursuing those responsible for generating or disseminating AI-generated images for malicious intents, with potential penalties of up to 10 years in prison for possessing egregious material.
Regarding social media platforms, Phillips highlighted their legal obligation to promptly remove such content, warning of substantial fines from the regulator Ofcom for non-compliance.
Celebrities like Maya Jama have demanded that platforms cease generating such images. Proposed legislation by the Government aims to penalize the creation, possession, and distribution of harmful AI images of children with up to five years of imprisonment.
Labour’s strategy against violence towards women and girls commits to outlawing apps that create deepfake images without consent, reinforcing the government’s efforts to combat this issue.
Phillips affirmed the government’s commitment to enforcing legislation against the creation of intimate deepfake images without consent, urging platforms like X to take responsibility and comply with regulations without delay.
Ofcom recently contacted Musk’s X and xAI regarding concerns about Grok producing sexualized images of children, prompting a response from the company acknowledging the need to rectify security lapses. Musk stated that individuals misusing Grok to produce illegal content would face consequences.
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