EU Moves to Ban AI Deepfakes After Grok Scandal Sparks Global Crackdown on Child Sexual Abuse

Europe takes first step to banning AI-generated child sexual abuse images

BRUSSELS, March 13 (Reuters) - Europe on Friday took the first step towards outlawing artificial intelligence practices which generate child sexual abuse material after EU governments proposed to add this provision to the bloc's landmark AI rules adopted two years ago. Governments and regulators from Europe to Asia are cracking down on sexually explicit ⁠content generated by Elon Musk's xAI chatbot Grok on X as well as sexually intimate deepfakes produced by Grok. EU tech regulators and national watchdogs in Britain, Ireland and Spain are currently investigating Grok's sexualised AI deepfakes. The EU countries will need the backing of the European Parliament before their proposal can ⁠be adopted. Lawmakers are scheduled to vote on their own similar proposition on Wednesday. Both sides have to stake out their positions on the matter and other ⁠issues ahead of negotiations on the European Commission's proposal to water down parts of the AI Act, a move welcomed ⁠by tech giants and some businesses but criticised by civic groups and privacy campaigners for ⁠bowing to Big Tech. The discussions will likely take a year before any changes can be implemented. Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Kirsten Donovan Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab * Suggested Topics: * Artificial Intelligence * Public Health Foo Yun Chee Thomson Reuters An agenda-setting and market-moving journalist, Foo Yun Chee is a 21-year veteran at Reuters. Her stories on high profile mergers have pushed up the European telecoms index, lifted companies' shares and helped investors decide on their next move. Her knowledge and experience of European antitrust laws and developments helped her break stories on Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Meta and Apple, numerous market-moving mergers and antitrust investigations. She has previously reported on Greek politics and companies, when Greece's entry into the eurozone meant it punched above its weight on the international stage, as well as on Dutch corporate giants and the quirks of Dutch society and culture that never fail to charm readers.

EU backs ban on AI generating sexualised deepfakes after Grok backlash

EU states on Friday supported new rules banning AI tools that generate sexualised deepfakes, following a backlash over images made with Elon Musk's AI chatbot Grok. EU nations on Friday backed a ban on AI systems generating sexualised deepfakes, after an outcry over such images produced by Elon Musk's AI chatbot Grok. European ambassadors agreed to prohibit "practices regarding the generation of non-consensual sexual and intimate content or child sexual abuse material", a spokesperson for Cyprus, which holds the EU's rotating presidency, said. EU member states and the European Parliament introduced the ban as part of the proposals to amend the bloc's comprehensive rules on AI. EU lawmakers are set to approve the ban during a vote by committees Wednesday. X, the platform on which Grok is available, in January said it had "zero tolerance" for sexualised deepfakes of children and women, and implemented measures it said would stop such image creation after the global outrage. Read moreFrance's Macron calls Musk 'over-subsidised,' urges Europe to support domestic industry The European Commission, the bloc's digital watchdog, in January kickstarted an investigation into Grok under the EU's online content rules. The ban will become law after negotiations on a final text including the changes to the AI rulebook between the EU parliament and member states. Ambassadors on Friday also approved a fixed timeline for the delayed application of high-risk AI rules: December 2027 for stand-alone high-risk AI systems and August 2028 for high-risk AI systems embedded in products. Rules on high-risk AI are due to come into effect in August 2026 and August 2027 unless the delay becomes law.

Europe takes first step to banning AI-generated child sexual abuse images

Governments and regulators from Europe to Asia are cracking down on sexually explicit content generated by Elon Musk's xAI chatbot Grok on X as well as sexually intimate deepfakes produced by ⁠Grok. Europe on Friday took the first step towards outlawing artificial intelligence practices which generate child sexual abuse material after EU governments proposed to add this provision to the bloc's ⁠landmark ⁠AI rules adopted two years ago. Governments and regulators from Europe to Asia are cracking down on sexually explicit content generated by Elon Musk's xAI chatbot Grok on X as well as sexually intimate deepfakes produced by ⁠Grok. EU tech regulators and national watchdogs in Britain, Ireland and Spain are currently investigating ⁠Grok's sexualised AI deepfakes. The EU countries will need the backing of the European Parliament before their proposal can be adopted. Lawmakers are scheduled to vote on their own similar proposition on Wednesday. Both sides have to stake out their positions on the matter and other issues ahead of negotiations on the European Commission's proposal to water ⁠down parts of the AI Act, a move welcomed by tech giants and some businesses but criticised by civic groups and privacy campaigners for bowing to Big Tech. The discussions will likely take a year before any changes can be implemented.