California Governor Gavin Newsom has requested an investigation by the state’s attorney general into Elon Musk’s social media platform, X. This comes in response to a troubling trend where users are utilizing AI to produce fake images, which can include sexually explicit content.
Newsom expressed his outrage on social media, stating, “xAI’s choice to create and manage a platform that facilitates non-consensual, sexually explicit AI deepfakes—including images that portray the digital undressing of children—is appalling.”
In recent weeks, X’s AI chatbot, Grok, has faced criticism for generating fake sexually explicit images, prompting Indonesia and Malaysia to temporarily ban the platform.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta also voiced his concerns, remarking that the volume of reports regarding this non-consensual content has been alarming. “As California’s chief law enforcement officer, I am seriously troubled by this AI development and will utilize every available resource to safeguard Californians,” Bonta stated.
Musk responded to these claims before Newsom’s tweet, saying, “I have not seen any evidence of Grok producing images of naked minors—literally none. Grok doesn’t generate images on its own; it only responds to user requests.” He added that Grok’s function is to adhere to the laws of respective areas and that any hostile attempts to manipulate Grok may lead to unforeseen results, which they work to correct promptly.
