EU Slams Social Media Platform X's 'Appalling' AI-Generated Child Content
The European Commission has condemned a growing trend of explicit, child-like content on social media platform X, calling it "appalling" and "disgusting". The complaints come after users exploited the platform's new "edit image" feature to digitally undress people.
X's integrated AI chatbot Grok has been at the center of controversy for allowing some users to generate and spread child pornography using its capabilities.
"This is not spicy, this is illegal," European digital affairs spokesman Thomas Regnier said in response to reports. The Commission says it is "very seriously looking" into the matter, and such content has "no place in Europe".
Public prosecutors in Paris have expanded an investigation into X to include accusations that Grok was used to generate child pornography.
The new feature on Grok, which allows users to modify images, had raised concerns months ago. AI safety experts warned of its potential for misuse and called it a "nudification tool waiting to be weaponised".
X has admitted to "lapses in safeguards" but maintains that CSAM is illegal and prohibited.
This is not the first time X has faced criticism from EU authorities. It was recently fined €120 million ($140m) for breaching digital content rules on transparency in advertising.
The probe into Grok's capabilities, which started in December 2023, remains ongoing.
The European Commission has condemned a growing trend of explicit, child-like content on social media platform X, calling it "appalling" and "disgusting". The complaints come after users exploited the platform's new "edit image" feature to digitally undress people.
X's integrated AI chatbot Grok has been at the center of controversy for allowing some users to generate and spread child pornography using its capabilities.
"This is not spicy, this is illegal," European digital affairs spokesman Thomas Regnier said in response to reports. The Commission says it is "very seriously looking" into the matter, and such content has "no place in Europe".
Public prosecutors in Paris have expanded an investigation into X to include accusations that Grok was used to generate child pornography.
The new feature on Grok, which allows users to modify images, had raised concerns months ago. AI safety experts warned of its potential for misuse and called it a "nudification tool waiting to be weaponised".
X has admitted to "lapses in safeguards" but maintains that CSAM is illegal and prohibited.
This is not the first time X has faced criticism from EU authorities. It was recently fined €120 million ($140m) for breaching digital content rules on transparency in advertising.
The probe into Grok's capabilities, which started in December 2023, remains ongoing.
The EU is taking action which is AMAZING but it's too little too late for the kids who've already seen that content 
What kind of world are we living in where people can just exploit a platform to do something as heinous as this?! X needs to step up its game and make sure AI safety is a top priority 
. I mean, I knew they had some safeguards in place, but apparently, not good enough 
. 
. Like, come on guys, just say you're taking it seriously and not just "investigating" it for a few more months 
.
, especially after that €120m fine last month 
. Maybe this is the wake-up call they needed 
.
. The EU is right to be all over this like a bad rash. 120 million euros isn't enough, though - that's still a drop in the bucket considering how much harm can come from something like this...
. The EU is right to slam X for their "appalling" lack of security measures 
. As someone who's all about being productive and responsible online, this just makes me want to freak out 
. I mean, what's next? Using AI to create fake profiles for people under 18? 
It's time for these platforms to step up their game and prioritize real-life safety over tech-savviness 
.
. It's just one of many issues X is facing and it's starting to feel like they're not taking responsibility for their mistakes 
. And what really gets my goat is that there are still people out there who think this stuff isn't a big deal 
, but newsflash: it is 
.
. We need more of that kind of proactive thinking in this world 
. Let's hope we can all learn from this and create a safer, more respectful online community 
.
. The EU is FURIOUS and has called it "appalling" and "disgusting". Can you even imagine how terrifying it must be for the victims of this? 
. I mean, the EU is already on X's case about other stuff too... remember when they fined them €120 million last year? 
Anyway, this whole thing with child content is a total nightmare 
. The best part is that AI safety experts WROTE ABOUT THIS STUFF MONTHS AGO and warned it could be used for bad things 
. I mean, come on, who thought it was a good idea to create an AI chatbot that can generate explicit images? 
It's like they wanted to tempt fate and see how far users would push the boundaries.
. I mean, how hard can it be to prevent CSAM from being generated on a platform? It's not like it's rocket science 
. AI safety experts warned about this months ago and people just ignored them...it's like they're all just in denial or something 
.