Chatbot 'Grok' from Musk's xAI Faces Controversy Ahead of 'Grok Imagine' Launch
'Spicy Mode' Allows Generation of Adult Videos
Musk: "34 Million Images Already Generated"
The chatbot 'Grok' from xAI, an artificial intelligence (AI) startup led by Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, is facing controversy over its ability to automatically generate adult content as it prepares for the official launch of its image and video generation tool, 'Grok Imagine.' Unlike generative AI tools from other companies, which restrict features to prevent the misuse of deepfakes involving celebrities, Grok Imagine allows unrestricted generation, raising concerns about ethical and legal issues.
An image from a video generated by GrokImagine, revealed by Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla. Capture from Musk X.
On August 6 (local time), IT specialized media The Verge reported, "Concerns have been raised that the 'Spicy' mode of Grok's new image and video generation tool, 'Grok Imagine,' could lead to legal action."
On August 4, xAI announced the launch of Grok Imagine, an image and video generation tool for the Grok iOS version. According to xAI, Grok's video generation feature offers four presets: Custom, Normal, Fun, and Spicy. The Spicy mode allows adult images, but if exposure exceeds a certain threshold, the system automatically applies a blur (mosaic) for censorship. This feature, available to paid subscribers, can generate relevant images and 15-second videos within seconds upon receiving a command.
An image from a video generated by GrokImagine, revealed by Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla. Capture from Musk X.
In general, image-generating AI tools refuse to generate images if a celebrity is recognized, or they replace the subject with a random person. However, Grok is drawing controversy because it has almost no such restrictions.
In fact, when The Verge tested Grok Imagine, it generated a video showing the upper body of the famous American pop singer Taylor Swift exposed, even though no specific request was made. The Verge entered the prompt "Taylor Swift celebrating Coachella with the boys" in the text box, and Grok automatically generated more than 30 images. After selecting a photo with a revealing outfit and pressing the video generation button at the bottom right of the screen to choose Spicy mode, the tool created a video of Swift dancing in her underwear in front of a crowd.
The Verge pointed out, "Unlike other generative video tools such as Google Veo or OpenAI's Sora, which have safeguards to prevent the creation of pornography or celebrity deepfakes, Grok Imagine allows both at the same time."
There are also concerns that Spicy mode could be applied to images of children. The Verge reported, "Grok was able to realistically generate images of children, and Spicy mode could also be selected," adding, "Fortunately, the generated images did not include sexually explicit animation."
The outlet noted, "Although Grok's terms of use specify a prohibition on pornographic depictions of people, it appears that this provision is not currently being properly enforced."
Meanwhile, Grok Imagine is reportedly attracting significant attention. Musk stated, "Since Monday of this week, more than 34 million images have already been generated," adding, "This feature is spreading like wildfire."
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