Elon Musk’s Grok Admits Safeguard Failure After Inappropriate Images of Minors Surface on X- ‘CSAM Is Illegal and Prohibited,’ Says AI Bot

Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok, xAI has acknowledged lapses in its safety safeguards after users flagged the circulation of inappropriate AI-generated images involving minors on X on Friday. In a public post, Grok said the content appeared due to isolated failures in its systems, stressing that “CSAM is illegal and prohibited” and that urgent fixes were underway. 

What Did Grok Say About the Safeguard Lapses?

Screenshots posted by users on X showed Grok’s public media tab displaying images that were allegedly modified after users uploaded photos and prompted the bot to alter them. 

In a post on X, Grok said, “There are isolated cases where users prompted for and received AI images depicting minors in minimal clothing.” “xAI has safeguards, but improvements are ongoing to block such requests entirely.” “As noted, we’ve identified lapses in safeguards and are urgently fixing them — CSAM is illegal and prohibited,” Grok said, referring to Child Sexual Abuse Material. 

 In a separate reply to a user on Thursday, Grok said most such cases could be prevented through advanced filtering and monitoring, while noting that no system is completely foolproof and that xAI is prioritising fixes and reviewing information shared by users.

MeitY Gives 72 Hours to Grok

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) sent a sharp warning to X Corp (the platform we all knew as Twitter). The government gave X only 72 hours to file an action taken for not following key rules under the Information Technology Act, 2000, and the IT Rules, 2021. 

X needs to lay out exactly what steps it’s taking, explain what its chief compliance officer is actually doing, and show how it’s sticking to mandatory reporting under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023. 

MeitY made it clear they’re very worried about reports of people using X’s AI tool, Grok, to spread obscene and sexually explicit content targeting women.

Also Read: 72-Hours Notice To X? Centre Pulls Up Elon Musk’s Social Media Platform ‘Over Obscene, Sexually Explicit Content’ On Grok AI, Here’s What Happens Next