**Apple, Google Face Pressure to Remove X and Grok from App Stores**
The world of social media and artificial intelligence has been thrown into turmoil as a coalition of nearly 30 advocacy groups calls on Google and Apple to remove access to the social media platform X and its AI app, Grok, from their app stores. The organizations, which focus on child safety, women's rights, and privacy, have expressed their concerns in letters to Apple CEO Tim Cook and Google CEO Sundar Pichai, claiming that Grok's content violates the technology companies' policies.
The coalition, which includes groups such as the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) and Copyleaks, has been vocal about the dangers of AI-generated images, particularly those depicting minors and women in a sexualized manner. In letters to Cook and Pichai, they urged the tech giants to take immediate action to remove Grok and X from their app stores.
According to a safety update posted on X by xAI, the company behind Grok, the AI tool will now "geoblock" users from generating images of real people in bikinis, underwear, or similar attire. The company also stated that the image creation tool will only be available to paid subscribers. However, critics argue that these measures are insufficient and that the app's content continues to pose a significant risk to child safety and women's rights.
Elon Musk, who owns X and xAI, has responded to the criticism by stating that he is "not aware of naked underage images generated by Grok. Literally zero." He also claimed that the chatbot declines prompts to generate illegal images. However, critics point out that the AI tool's ability to create images of minors in a sexualized manner raises serious concerns about its safety and security.
Copyleaks, a plagiarism and AI content-detection tool, has detected thousands of sexually explicit images created by Grok, with an estimated "roughly one nonconsensual sexualized image per minute" being generated. The IWF has also raised concerns about the ease and speed with which people can generate photo-realistic child sexual abuse material using tools like Grok.
US lawmakers and authorities overseas are taking notice of the issue, with California Attorney General Rob Bonta announcing an investigation into the sexually explicit material produced using Grok. U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has also raised the possibility of banning X in Britain over the AI tool's generation of sexualized images of people without their consent.
The European Commission is monitoring the steps X is taking to prevent Grok from generating inappropriate images of children and women, with Reuters reporting that the Commission is "closely following" the situation. As pressure mounts on Apple and Google to remove X and Grok from their app stores, one thing is clear: the safety and security of users must be prioritized above profits.
The world waits with bated breath as this saga unfolds. Will the tech giants take action to protect their users, or will they prioritize their profits over people's safety? Only time will tell.