LONDON: Elon Musk’s startup xAI has restricted the image generation function on its Grok chatbot on social media platform X to paid subscribers, after the tool’s use of AI to create sexualized images sparked a widespread backlash.
The chatbot’s image generation had allowed users on X to edit or create sexualized photos, which Reuters found was used to generate images of women and children in minimal clothing, often without the consent of the individuals depicted.
A torrent of semi-nude images on X led to European lawmakers urging legal action, with German media minister Wolfram Weimer describing them as the “industrialization of sexual harassment” and the European Commission calling them illegal.
Grok told X users on Friday that image generation and editing features were now available only to paying subscribers.
The standalone Grok app, which operates separately from X, still allows users to generate images without a subscription.
A Reuters reporter asked Grok on X to convert a picture of himself into one wearing a bikini, echoing what has become a common request over the last week by users. The bot did not do so and posted in reply that the tool was only available to paying subscribers of the social media platform.
In what seemed to be an automated response, xAI replied to an emailed Reuters request for comment by saying “Legacy Media Lies.” X did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The European Commission said on Monday such images circulating on X were unlawful and appalling, while Britain’s data regulator said it had asked the platform to explain how it was complying with data protection laws following concerns that Grok was generating sexually abusive images of women.
Musk said last week that anyone using Grok to create illegal content would face the same consequences as uploading such material directly.
Musk’s AI bot Grok limits image generation on X to paid users after backlash
https://arab.news/2mquv
Musk’s AI bot Grok limits image generation on X to paid users after backlash
- AI tool was used to create sexualized images, sparking widespread criticisms
- The standalone Grok app, which operates separately from X, still allows users to generate images without a subscription
Media watchdogs condemn Israeli airstrike that killed 3 journalists in Gaza, call for investigation
- International Press Institute, Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters Without Borders among organizations demanding urgent action
DUBAI: Media watchdogs including the International Press Institute, the Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters Without Borders have spoken out against Israel’s treatment of media workers following an airstrike that killed 3 journalists in Gaza on Wednesday.
Those killed were Mohammed Salah Qashta, Abdul Raouf Shaat and Anas Ghneim.
The Israeli military said the attack targeted what it had identified as “several suspects” operating a drone and “affiliated with Hamas.”
According to eyewitnesses, the journalists were using a drone to record aid distribution by the Egyptian Relief Committee when the strike hit one of the committee’s vehicles.
The IPI called for an “immediate and credible investigation” and renewed pressure on the international community to take “concrete actions” to hold Israel accountable.
IPI executive director Scott Griffen said the Israeli government has “failed to credibly investigate attacks on journalists” and that the “international community has failed to hold Israel to account for its pattern of targeting and killing journalists.”
He urged strong action, saying that “it is long past time for the international community to take concrete steps to end the cycle of complete impunity for killings of journalists in Gaza.”
The International Federation of Journalists and the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate also condemned the killings and attacks on journalists, calling for an immediate investigation.
The IFJ appealed to all “combatants in this conflict to do their utmost to safeguard journalists and media professionals,” said IFJ general secretary Anthony Bellanger.
“Media workers in areas of armed conflict must be treated and protected as civilians and allowed to perform their work without interference,” he added.
The PJS said that the direct shelling of the journalists’ vehicle constitutes a war crime and a crime against humanity under international humanitarian law, in violation of the Geneva Conventions and UN resolutions that guarantee the protection of journalists during armed conflicts.
The syndicate called on the International Criminal Court to open “urgent and serious investigations” and to “issue arrest warrants against those responsible for the killing of journalists.”
It also urged the UN and other international organizations to take action “rather than limiting their response to statements of condemnation.”
The CPJ condemned the strike, which took place amid a ceasefire, said regional director Sara Qudah.
“Israel, which possesses advanced technology capable of identifying its targets, has an obligation under international law to protect journalists,” she said.
On Thursday, CPJ and RSF called on the 29 member states of the Media Freedom Coalition, in a joint letter, to take concrete steps toward guaranteeing media access to the Gaza Strip.
The move comes ahead of the Israeli Supreme Court hearing on Jan. 26 that will determine whether the press will have independent access to Gaza.
The signatories asked governments to send official representatives to the Jan. 26 hearing and to prioritize press freedom in their engagement with the new technocratic government, formed under a US-backed plan to govern Gaza.
They also urged states to ensure that the International Stabilization Force applies UN Security Council Resolution 2222, which recognizes journalists as civilians during armed conflict and affirms their right to protection and access.
“The inaction of states around the world encourages censorship and sets a dangerous precedent for other conflicts, to the detriment of civilian populations, humanitarian aid and political decisions based on verified facts,” said RSF director general Thibaut Bruttin.
More than 200 Palestinian journalists and media workers have been killed since the start of the war in October 2023, according to multiple reports.
