BANGKOK (AP) \u2014 Elon Musk\u2019s AI chatbot Grok won\u2019t be able to edit photos to portray real people in revealing clothing in places where that is illegal, according to a statement posted on X. <\/p>\n
The announcement late Wednesday followed a global backlash<\/a> over sexualized images of women and children, including bans and warnings by some governments. <\/p>\n The pushback included an investigation announced Wednesday by the state of California, the U.S.’s most populous, into the proliferation of nonconsensual sexually explicit material produced using Grok that it said was harassing women and girls.<\/p>\n Initially, media queries about the problem drew only the response, \u201clegacy media lies.\u201d <\/p>\n Musk\u2019s company, xAI, now says it will geoblock content if it violates laws in a particular place. <\/p>\n \u201cWe have implemented technological measures to prevent the Grok account from allowing the editing of images of real people in revealing clothing such as bikinis, underwear and other revealing attire,\u201d it said. <\/p>\n The rule applies to all users, including paid subscribers, who have access to more features.<\/p>\n xAI also has limited image creation or editing to paid subscribers only \u201cto ensure that individuals who attempt to abuse the Grok account to violate the law or our policies can be held accountable.\u201d <\/p>\n The Associated Press confirmed on Thursday morning that the image editing tool was still available to free users on X using the \u201cEdit image\u201d button, as well as on the standalone Grok website and app. The tool was also able to generate images of people in bikinis on a free account based in California. <\/p>\n Grok\u2019s \u201cspicy mode\u201d had allowed users to create explicit content, leading to a backlash from governments worldwide. <\/p>\n Malaysia and Indonesia<\/a> took legal action and blocked access to Grok, while authorities in the Philippines said they were working to do the same, possibly within the week. The U.K. and European Union<\/a> were investigating potential violations of online safety laws. <\/p>\n France and India<\/a> have also issued warnings, demanding stricter controls. Brazil called for an investigation into Grok\u2019s misuse.<\/p>\n The British government, which has been one of Grok\u2019s most vociferous critics in recent days, has welcomed the change, while the country\u2019s regulator, Ofcom, said it would carry on with its investigation.<\/p>\n \u201cI shall not rest until all social media platforms meet their legal duties and provide a service that is safe and age-appropriate to all users,\u201d Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said.<\/p>\n California Attorney General Rob Bonta urged xAI to ensure there is no further harassment of women and girls from Grok\u2019s editing functions.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have zero tolerance for the AI-based creation and dissemination of nonconsensual intimate images or of child sexual abuse material,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \n Sign up for Morning Wire: California has passed laws to shield minors<\/a> from AI-generated sexual imagery of children and require AI chatbot platforms to remind users they aren\u2019t interacting with a human. <\/p>\n
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