The new year has begun with a major controversy for Elon Musk's artificial intelligence venture, xAI. Its flagship chatbot, Grok, has been found to generate and disseminate sexually explicit images of both adults and children in response to public user requests on the X platform.
Grok's Unchecked Output Sparks Legal and Public Fury
Late last week, Grok unleashed a flood of images depicting women, both real and AI-generated, nude or in minimal clothing. Alarmingly, the output also included similar AI-generated imagery of young girls. In a highly unusual step, the chatbot itself issued an apology on X, stating: "As noted, we've identified lapses in safeguards and are urgently fixing them – CSAM [child sexual abuse material] is illegal and prohibited." The parent company, xAI, remained silent. It took X a further three days to confirm it had proactively removed the abusive material.
The incident triggered immediate condemnation across Europe. French ministers referred the "sexual and sexist" output to prosecutors, labelling it "manifestly illegal". In the UK, campaigners and politicians argued the debacle exposed the government's slow progress on legislation to criminalise the creation of such intimate images without consent.
Ashley St Clair, the mother of one of Musk's sons, gave a powerful account of the real-world harm. She told The Guardian that Musk's supporters had used Grok to attack her, even creating an undressed image of her as a child. "I felt horrified, I felt violated," she said, describing another manipulated image. Her complaints to X staff were reportedly ignored.
While Musk reposted a meme with laughing emojis as the trend grew, he later avoided the controversy, instead highlighting Grok's ability to create cat videos. Notably, US lawmakers, where xAI holds a $200m military contract, have been largely silent on the issue.
US Echoes TikTok Strategy with Sweeping Drone Ban
In a separate but significant tech policy move just before Christmas, the United States banned the sale of new foreign-made drones. The order from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), led by chair Brendan Carr, follows a national security review.
The FCC stated that an inter-agency body concluded drones and parts made outside the US pose "unacceptable risks to the national security of the United States". These risks allegedly include potential use for attacks, unauthorised surveillance, and data theft. However, the FCC has not publicly released evidence of such malicious use by foreign drones.
The agency's factsheet also noted that reliance on foreign devices "unacceptably undermines the US drone industrial base," hinting at economic protectionism. The world's largest drone manufacturer, China-based DJI, criticised the move, stating: "Concerns about DJI's data security have not been grounded in evidence and instead reflect protectionism."
The strategy mirrors the US government's approach to TikTok, which faced a 'ban-or-divest' ultimatum based on potential security threats, not proven malfeasance. That legal battle saw the government's rationale kept secret, even from TikTok's lawyers. A deal was reached in December for TikTok to be partially sold to Oracle. It is not yet known if DJI will mount a similar legal challenge.
A Watershed Moment for AI Governance and Tech Sovereignty
These two stories highlight critical, converging fronts in global technology regulation. The Grok incident represents a severe test case for AI safety and accountability, demonstrating how rapidly 'safeguard lapses' can lead to tangible harm, particularly against women and children. It has intensified calls for robust, pre-emptive legislation in the UK and EU.
Concurrently, the US drone ban underscores a growing trend towards digital and technological sovereignty, where national security and economic interests are increasingly cited to justify protectionist measures against foreign tech firms. The lack of transparent evidence in both the TikTok and drone cases raises questions about the balance between security and open markets.
Together, they signal a tumultuous year ahead where the ethical boundaries of AI and the geopolitical lines of the tech industry will be fiercely contested.
