The new image generation capabilities of Elon Musk’s AI system has led to outrage over the pictures it is able to generate.
Since it was launched, Mr Musk’s xAI and its Grok system have been explicitly built without the same strict guidelines that limit other systems such as those made by OpenAI and Google. While Mr Musk has often suggested that is an attempt to avoid political interference, it also means that it lacks the same limits on copyrighted or potentially dangerous material.
Now xAI has rolled out a new version of Grok, which is able to generate images. That too appears not to have any meaningful limits on what it can generate, with even the softer rules easily overruled by a clever prompt.
It means that the generator will produce photorealistic pictures that could be misleading and images that might break copyright, for instance. Popular images shared on X after the system was released showed copyrighted characters appearing in violent scenes, for instance, or politicians appearing to endorse campaigns they disagree with or even back terror attacks.
Some of those images were especially disturbing in their graphic nature. Widely available pictures showed Mickey Mouse carrying a gun or around an array of corpses, for instance.
The system could also be used to generate pictures of celebrities in lingerie, for instance. Such capabilities have often been limited on other AI tools, amid worries that they could be used to create fake adult imagery – though that has nonetheless proliferated.
It comes in the wake of X and Mr Musk being heavily criticised for the role the platform played in the recent riots in Britain, with misinformation allowed to spread which sparked much of the disorder, while Mr Musk interacted with far-right figures on the site and reiterated his belief in “absolute free speech”.
Daniel Card, fellow of BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT, said the issue of misinformation and disinformation on X was a “societal crisis” because of its potential impact.
“Grok may have some guardrails but it’s unleashing a torrent of misinformation, copyright chaos and explicit deepfakes,” he said.
“This isn’t just a defence issue – it’s a societal crisis. Information warfare has become a greater threat than cyber attacks, infiltrating our daily lives and warping global perceptions.
“These challenges demand bold, modern solutions. By the time regulators step in, disinformation has already reached millions, spreading at a pace we’re simply not prepared for.
“In the US, distorted views of countries like the UK are spreading, fuelled by exaggerated reports of danger. We’re at a critical juncture in navigating truth in the AI era.
“Our current strategies are falling short. As we move into a digital-physical hybrid world, this threat could become society’s greatest challenge. We must act now – authorities, governments and tech leaders need to step up.”
But Mr Musk appeared to revel in the controversial nature of the update to the chatbot, posting to X on Wednesday: “Grok is the most fun AI in the world!”
He pointed to a thread of tips to use the system, which included replies from an array of users demonstrating how it could be used to create photorealistic images of news figures.
He also reposted a tweet in which a user said that the “trolling” enabled by the new system would be “epic”.
Additional reporting by agencies