It seems like Elon Musk’s X social media project could be set for a reckoning, of sorts, with the most recent Grok nudification controversy potentially being the last straw for already wary regulators.
Ever since taking over the platform, Musk has had ongoing disputes with regulatory authorities in several nations, as he continues to push for X users to be able to share whatever they like within the app, within the boundaries of what’s legal, as part of his “free speech” ethos.
And Musk has been consistent on this, arguing all along that X users should be able to post anything that’s not against local laws. But even so, some regions have found that X’s more hands-off approach to moderation, and even encouragement or borderline activity, could be problematic, and could potentially be promoting illegal activity within the app.
It’s certainly been an explosive start to the year for the app on this front.
Over the past month:
- French authorities have raided X’s Paris offices as part of an investigation into illegal content published in the app, including non-consensual nudes, anti-Semitic content, and more.
- Democratic senators in the U.S. called on Apple and Google to remove X from their app stores over the Grok nudification trend
- In announcing its new social media laws, Spain’s Prime Minister criticized Elon Musk and X specifically for hosting illegal content, while he also accused Musk of interfering in European politics and undermining democracy
- U.S. senators have also called on leaders at X, as well as other platforms, to provide proof that they have “robust protections and policies” in place
- The U.K. Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has announced a formal investigation into X and xAI in relation to the processing of personal data for X’s Grok AI chatbot, as well as the use of Grok to produce harmful, sexualized image and video content
So, a bit on for Elon and his team to deal with, with the Grok nudification controversy seemingly being the last straw for some of these groups, who have long had the platform in their sights.
Which, of course, Elon Musk claims is “politically motivated.” Musk has long held the same defense whenever the app’s approach to moderation has been questioned, claiming that X is being targeted because it’s aiming to allow more open speech, which will let people see the truth about what’s happening, free from government censorship.
But for the most part, that’s really only meant that Elon wants to let wild conspiracy theories and false claims go unchecked, while he also, inexplicably, defended X users’ right to generate sexualized images of whomever they like via the platform’s AI chatbot.
X did eventually back down on this, and update Grok so that people can’t easily generate sexualized depictions of people (though apparently this is still possible in the app). But Musk’s initial stance was that X users should be able to do what they like, and that any move to limit such is tantamount to censorship.
In some ways, Musk has a point, in that if content isn’t illegal, there should be no problem. But at the same time, it seems like a slippery slope to allow people to generate non-consensual nudes, which had also, in some cases, seen X users prompting Grok to undress images of children.
And nobody needs that as a functionality, there can be no justification for allowing such, and facilitating nudification, especially given that thousands of such images were being generated by X users every day.
But this is seemingly part of Musk’s business model, with the company also building in “spicy” settings for its AI responses, and NSFW options for its AI companions.
Clearly, X wants to encourage this kind of behavior, but that will keep it on the edge of legal boundaries. And given the reach and presence of the app, that may be too much to allow, especially if the app is going to be openly accessible to youngsters.
Of course, there are also political implications, and potentially motivations in such actions. As noted, Musk has repeatedly lashed out at authorities who try to restrict the app, or hold X to account, even launching personal attacks that have no doubt made X even more of a target.
Does that make this a more personal endeavor for some investigators and authorities? It might, but without legal cause, they can’t actually take action against the app. But Musk’s public outbursts do bring more scrutiny, and with X now becoming part of a combined xAI/SpaceX entity, which is planning to launch an IPO later this year, that could pose a significant ongoing risk for the prospects of his business.
Investors will no doubt be aware of what to expect when buying into an Elon Musk project, but his propensity to air out his thoughts and feelings, in real time, at any time in the app, could lead to more challenges, and more scrutiny, which could come with a big cost.
But overall, right now, it feels like X could be riding too close to the edge, and could be about to tip over into really problematic legal territory. And if authorities move to restrict the app, or limit access, that could be a big problem for xAI, which gathers all of its input data from the live X feed.
Maybe it amounts to nothing in the end, but Musk’s confrontational, emotional responses and personal targeting, along with his constant cries about politically-motivated censorship, may be reaching a breaking point.
