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Pity poor Elon. Right here he’s the richest individual in human historical past and he can’t even program the AI chatbot he owns to digitally undress any girl on the planet. How is that honest? Individuals say Musk is a genius, a prodigy, a god. They excuse his dangerous habits as a result of he’s “on the spectrum,” as if that’s an excuse for being a cyber Peeping Tom. He behaves like a pubescent teenager who has simply found intercourse.
Just lately we reported on a narrative by Bloomberg’s Olivia Soloduring which she wrote that “Grok has turned non-consensual nudification right into a built-in function.” Make no mistake. The explanation that is taking place is as a result of Elon needs it to occur. He’s the boss. He units the tone. And if you work for Elon, you do what he says otherwise you work someplace else. In fact now he says he had no concept what was taking place on Grok. You possibly can consider that if you wish to, however it merely isn’t true.
Solon relates how Grok this yr has been “churning out sexualized pretend photographs of individuals — largely girls — enabling a type of digital abuse for effectively over every week. Hundreds of individuals, together with kids, have now been ‘nudified’ by Grok’s so-called ‘spicy mode.” Spicy mode? Jeffrey Epstein would have liked that!
Nations Reply
Guardian contributor Blake Montgomery studies that Ofcom, the UK communications regulator, has opened an investigation into xAI and Grok. If violations are discovered, each might be banned in that nation. The Web Watch Basis, which relies within the UK, introduced this week it has discovered cases of kid sexual abuse materials generated by Grok in Darkish Net boards. X’s income within the UK has plummeted by 60% as issues over content material moderation and model security develop.
Montgomery then will get to the center of the matter. He says, “Lacking from the refrain decrying Grok are the 2 in reality smartphone regulators of smartphone software program, Apple and Google, operators of the world’s largest cell app shops. Neither has indicated whether or not the Grok’s output violates their phrases of service.”
On January 10, 2026, Indonesia grew to become the primary nation to dam entry to Grok utterly. Malaysia adopted its lead the subsequent day. India stated on January 11 that X had eliminated hundreds of posts and lots of of consumer accounts in response to its complaints.
France’s commissioner for youngsters, Sarah El Furry, stated on Tuesday she had referred Grok’s generated photographs to French prosecutors, the Arcom media regulator, and the European Union. In response to The Guardianthe European Fee has ordered X to retain all inner paperwork and knowledge associated to Grok till the tip of 2026 in response to the uproar.
Within the US, there’s been little backlash from regulators and lawmakers. That is likely to be as a result of Musk and his mentor, the alleged president, nonetheless share an in depth relationship. Reportedly the 2 dined collectively at Mar-A-Loco simply hours earlier than the US invasion of Venezuela.
“The lesson for Musk and different tech leaders appears obvious: the less restrictions you place on AI, the extra stunning content material you enable it to generate, the better your engagement and your revenue,” Montgomery concludes.
California Reacts
In California, Legal professional Normal Rob Bonta stated Grok seems to be making it straightforward to harass girls and ladies with deepfake photographs on X and elsewhere on-line. “The avalanche of studies detailing the non-consensual, sexually express materials that xAI has produced and posted on-line in current weeks is stunning. I urge xAI to take speedy motion to make sure this goes no additional.”
In what could also be one of the best indication of Musk’s pervasive affect over social media, California Governor Gavin Newsom posted on X a name for an investigation into “Grok’s disgusting unfold of kid porn on this web site. xAI’s resolution to create and host a breeding floor for predators to unfold nonconsensual sexually express AI deepfakes, together with photographs that digitally undress kids, is vile.” Newsom apparently doesn’t notice X is owned by Musk and that there are options equivalent to Blue Sky which might be not managed by a puerile man-child.
Musk has angrily denied that Grok is getting used to unfold nude photographs of minors. He wrote on X: “I not conscious of any bare underage photographs generated by Grok. Actually zero.” Technically, he’s appropriate. Nobody is saying Grok is displaying nude photographs of minors. They’re saying it’s displaying photographs of minors dressed within the skimpiest of swim fits or underwear. Go away it to Musk to deflect with a slim however truthful assertion whereas utterly failing to deal with (or perceive) the difficulty.
Modifications Have Been Made To Grok
Nonetheless, xAI and Grok have introduced adjustments. Not will informal guests to Grok be allowed to demean and humiliate girls and youngsters. For that, they’ll should be paid subscribers, and even then solely in nations the place sexualizing individuals just isn’t unlawful. “We now geoblock the flexibility of all customers to generate photographs of actual individuals in bikinis, underwear, and comparable apparel by way of the Grok account and in Grok in X in these jurisdictions the place it’s unlawful,” X stated in a press release.
What’s lacking from that assertion? First, any expression of remorse for subjecting hundreds of individuals to public humiliation. Second, any photographs of people that aren’t of actual individuals should still be sexualized. Third, Musk has put the burden on nations to guard their residents and appear to not perceive what all of the fuss is about.
Documenting The Hurt
Journalist Jess Davies, who was amongst girls whose photographs on X have been edited with Grok, instructed the BBC the adjustments have been a “optimistic step” however it ought to by no means have allowed such imagery within the first place. “It’s a sobering thought to consider what number of girls together with myself have been focused by this (and) what number of extra victims of AI abuse of being created.” Davies additionally characterised the response by X as “actually pathetic. They’re simply making an attempt to do as little as attainable inside the unfastened authorized pointers that there are.”
She added that undressing girls who submit on X was particularly dangerous. Doing so topics them to public humiliation as a result of the photographs are so simply accessible to everybody with an web connection. It must be famous that the very first thing captors do to intimidate their prisoners is take away their garments.
Should you suppose that is all simply good clear enjoyable, get bare and go purchasing for the afternoon. See how you are feeling being out in public with no garments. (Notice: we don’t really suggest you do that. We’re simply making an attempt to assist readers perceive why the individuals who have skilled this really feel victimized.)
Dr. Daisy Dixon, a lecturer in philosophy at Cardiff College, instructed the BBC that utilizing Grok to undress her in photographs on X had left her feeling “shocked, humiliated” and fearing for her security. Whereas the adjustments are welcome information, “We should do not forget that the abuse ought to by no means have occurred. Many ladies are actually left with intensive injury.”
Amidst all this furor, the alleged head of the Protection Division this week introduced that Grok is being embedded within the laptop techniques utilized by the Pentagon. Is there an issue with that? Provided that you suppose America’s army leaders don’t want entry to a pc platform — Grokipedia — that could be a seething cauldron of Nazi worship and authoritarian pondering. What may probably go improper? Anyone bear in mind Operation Tailhook?
Colossus
Additional proof of Musk’s disdain for individuals and guidelines is his resolution to make use of greater than a dozen transportable methane fired turbines to energy the Colossus knowledge heart in Memphis, Tennessee. Final week, the EPA dominated that every one these turbines want federal permits to function. Native residents have complained the turbines are making unhealthy air high quality of their neighborhood worse.
Nevertheless, The Guardian studies the EPA resolution didn’t embrace any enforcement language, native officers are unlikely to problem Musk, and xAI itself had no remark about how the choice would have an effect on its operations. It already has a second, bigger knowledge heart simply throughout the state line in Mississippi that may use some transportable methane turbines and has began development of a 3rd that can be even bigger.
We reported lately that Eire has introduced a brand new coverage that requires knowledge facilities to rearrange for their very own energy wants and 80% of that electrical energy wants to return from renewables. You would possibly count on Elon the Magnificent would help such a progressive concept, however you’d be improper. For him, each rule, each regulation, and each coverage is an infringement on his private liberty and is to be ignored if it can’t be labored round.
He’s grudgingly addressing the undressing of individuals on Grok however has no precise understanding of what all of the fuss is about. As Blake Montgomery wrote in The Guardian“All through the controversy, Musk has obstinately recast the AI software’s issues as every thing however what they are surely. He’s been selling its reputation as if it have been a bit of productiveness software program.
“He crows about its obtain numbers with doubtful claims. On 10 January; he celebrated Grok reaching the highest spot in New Zealand’s model of Apple’s App Retailer. (Rankings by the analytics agency SimilarWeb of the most-downloaded apps in New Zealand, which have been up to date the identical day as Musk’s tweet, put Grok in 14th place.)
“The identical day, he reposted a tweet about Grok reaching the No 1 spot in Thailand’s Apple App Retailer. (SimilarWeb’s rankings don’t present Grok within the high 50 most-downloaded apps within the nation.) On January 9, he retweeted a submit about Google searches for Grok spiking. (I’d guess the rise in searches is proof of nice curiosity within the AI software’s scandal extra so than curiosity in utilizing it.)
“In response to the UK’s threats to ban the AI software, he accused the nation’s authorities of stifling free speech. After watchdogs cited cases of Grok undressing minors, he stated: ‘Anybody utilizing Grok to make unlawful content material will endure the identical penalties as in the event that they add unlawful content material,’ handing the duty to average his social community to regulation enforcement and courts. ‘Unlawful’ is in a courtroom’s palms and frees him from moderating all however essentially the most heinous content material.”
FSD (Supervised)
Yesterday, Zachary Shahan wrote an article during which he urged the choice by Tesla to cease promoting its Full Self Driving (Supervised) software program bundle and to lease it as an alternative is de facto an try to skirt the choice by a California choose that discovered calling the system Full Self Driving (Supervised) is fake promoting and vehicles marketed with that identify can’t be bought within the Golden State. So Tesla gained’t promote them; it’ll hire them as an alternative. However all the problems with the system that led to the courtroom’s resolution will stay.
Each time a narrative about Musk will get printed on CleanTechnicaanyone accuses us of pushing click on bait. Let me make this completely clear, as Richard Nixon appreciated to say. I’m sick to loss of life of Elon Musk and his bullshit. If I by no means wrote one other story about him, I’d be delighted.
What I discover most offensive is his utter lack of empathy for others. He’ll do something to extend his wealth however nothing to enhance the human situation. He creates digital techniques that promote authoritarian governments and undress girls so others can leer at them. At coronary heart, he has a psychological age of round 7 and I discover him each tedious and tiresome. I want he would go away and go away us alone.
Andrew Carnegie, who was no candidate for sainthood, as soon as wrote, “Surplus wealth is a sacred belief which its possessor is sure to manage in his lifetime for the great of the neighborhood.” Elon ought to print that and paste it the place he can see it each morning whereas he’s shaving. Getting that thought embedded in his mind may really make the world a significantly better place.
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