The Princess of Wales is among several high-profile victims of an AI tool on X that allows users to create undressed images of people without their consent
The Princess of Wales (Image: PA)
The Princess of Wales is among a number of women who have had grim ‘undressed images’ AI images created of them online. Social media platform X, formerly Twitter, is now facing an investigation after Grok, the AI chatbot developed by Elon Musk’s xAI, was found to have been prompted to generate realistic-looking images of Kate in a bikini.
She is believed to be one of thousands of women, where real photos of them have been altered without their consent to make it appear like they are wearing swimwear or put in sexualised situations. Now Ofcom has made “urgent contact” with the social media platform after serious concerns. Ofcom says it has contacted X and xAI to understand what steps have been taken to address this, but has not launched an investigation yet.
READ MORE: Kate Middleton admits to ‘notoriously bad’ habit that inspired her Christmas giftsREAD MORE: Royal Family LIVE: Shamed Andrew’s ‘homeless’ threat as Royal Lodge move hits snag
Kate has been targeted by the chatbot(Image: Ian Vogler / Daily Mirror)
A spokesperson for the regulator said: “Tackling illegal online harm and protecting children remain urgent priorities for Ofcom. We are aware of serious concerns raised about a feature on Grok on X that produces undressed images of people and sexualised images of children.
“We have made urgent contact with X and xAI to understand what steps they have taken to comply with their legal duties to protect users in the UK.
“Based on their response, we will undertake a swift assessment to determine whether there are potential compliance issues that warrant investigation.”
A post on the Grok X account said that there have been “isolated cases where users prompted for and received AI images depicting minors in minimal clothing”, and added: “xAI has safeguards, but improvements are ongoing to block such requests entirely.” The Mirror has contacted Kensington Palace for comment.
Ofcom says it has contacted X and xAI(Image: Idrees Abbas/SOPA Images/REX/Shutterstock)
Internet Watch Foundation chief executive Kerry Smith said: “The IWF has received a number of reports from the public relating to suspected child sexual abuse imagery on X generated by the AI chatbot Grok.
“We are still working through these reports, but, so far, we have not seen any imagery that crosses the legal threshold for being considered child sexual abuse in the UK.” She urged the Government to require AI firms to build safety measures into their products to prevent harmful content.
Back in October, it emerged that the Prince and Princess of Wales had won a legal battle after suing a French magazine over a “grossly intrusive article and long-lens paparazzi photographs”.
The pictures, published by Paris Match, showed William and Kate as well as their three children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis enjoying a holiday in the Alps last April.
In 2012, the couple also sued the French magazine Closer after it published images of the couple on holiday in the country. It came after the magazine used 14 images of Kate and William enjoying private holiday moments at Chateau d’Autet, near Aix-en-Provence.
Get the inside scoop on the monarchy with Mirror Royal
WHATSAPP GROUP: Be first to get the biggest royal bombshells and exclusives to your phone by joining our Royal WhatsApp here.
We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
NEWSLETTER: Or sign up to the Mirror’s Royal newsletter here to get all the biggest royal news and exclusive pictures, straight to your inbox.