Ireland flags potential misuse of Grok on X

Ireland has expressed concerns over the misuse of the artificial intelligence chatbot Grok on blogging platform X. According to reports, the dissatisfaction was expressed to company executives at a recent meeting held in the country. This puts Ireland on a long list of countries worried about the implications of the actions of the chatbot.

Over the last few weeks, countries and their leaders have called out the platform, its owner, Elon Musk, and its chatbot, Grok. This is because some users are now taking advantage of the chatbot to generate sexualized images of women and children. While some countries have threatened legal sanctions, others have called on the platform to take measures to protect children and women from being digitally abused.

Ireland wants X to take corrective measures

In the meeting, Artificial Intelligence Minister Niamh Smyth hailed the corrective measures that the company said it had taken to curb the menace. This was after the executives told her that Grok had been disabled from removing or reducing clothing on individuals worldwide. The new development came after the platform confirmed that it will ‘geoblock’ the ability of X and Grok users to create images of people in limited outfits.

In its statement, the platform mentioned that these requests will be halted only in regions where the actions have been deemed illegal. During the meeting, the Irish AI Minister expressed her concerns that nonconsensual intimate imagery and child sexual abuse materials were being generated and posted on the public platform. She told the company executives that the sophistication of the safeguards needs to match the sophistication of the technology.

However, Smyth noted that her concerns remain regarding Grok as a standalone application, noting that the Irish government will need to examine it further. She added that she will continue to monitor the situation closely. Niamh also added that she is scheduled to hold an in-person follow-up meeting with executives from X in the future to ensure that adequate and enduring protections against the technology remain in place.

Countries continue to criticize X and its Grok chatbot

The renewed criticism comes after the platform allegedly failed to curb the generation of the menace after it pledged to halt and suspend users who generate them. During the period, UK communication watchdog Ofcom noted that it had made urgent contact with X and xAI to understand what they are doing to comply with their legal duties to protect users in the UK. The regulatory body mentioned at the time that it would assess whether an investigation is necessary.

After its statement, the government of Indonesia announced that it had taken decisive action concerning the chatbot. The country mentioned that the chatbot will remain temporarily banned, citing the need to protect its women and children from the dangers of AI-generated explicit content. “The government views non-consensual sexual deepfakes as a serious violation of human rights, dignity, and citizens’ security in the digital space,” the country said.

The development came after Australian PM Anthony Albanese threw his weight behind countries criticizing the platform, calling on them to do what is right in terms of protecting its vulnerable users. The eSafety Office of Australia mentioned that the number of reports it received was relatively small; it noted that there has been a rise in reports in relation to the incident compared to previous years. The watchdog vowed to use its powers as defined in the Australian Online Safety Act to remove these contents.

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