AI horror: Grok users face same penalties as uploading illegal content, Musk warns

Tech billionaire Elon Musk has warned that users who exploit the artificial intelligence tool Grok to generate illegal material will face the same legal consequences as those who upload or distribute unlawful content, as concerns mount over AI-driven abuse.

“Anyone using Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content,” Musk said.

The warning comes in the wake of serious allegations from users on the platform, including Ashley St Clair, a US-based political commentator and writer who had a child with Musk in 2024.

St Clair claims her childhood photographs were used to generate sexually explicit images on platforms linked to Grok.

“Grok is now undressing photos of me as a child. This is a website where the owner says to post photos of your children,” St Clair said.

She also dismissed criticism directed at her for raising the issue publicly, describing the alleged conduct as criminal and urging others to come forward.

“I really don’t care if people want to call me ‘scorned’ — this is objectively horrifying, illegal, and if it has happened to anybody else, DM me. I got time,” she said.

The allegations have renewed scrutiny of xAI, the company behind Grok, and its integration with the social media platform X.

While the AI system has been promoted as a less restrictive alternative to competitors, experts have raised concerns about the lack of safeguards to prevent the generation of illegal content, particularly involving children.

IOL News