Japan Probing Grok AI Over Sexualized Images as Elon Musk's Chatbot Faces Global Backlash

Musk's Grok AI Faces Scrutiny From Japan Over Sexualized Images

Economic Security Minister Kimi Onoda said "all possibilities, including legal steps, are on the table" if there is no improvement, and Japan may seek further measures from the chatbot creator. Japan joined the growing list of countries probing X over Elon Musk's artificial intelligence service Grok and the chatbot's role in creating and spreading sexualized images of people without their consent. The Cabinet Office has asked the social media platform to improve safeguards and curb the output of sexually altered images by Grok, Economic Security Minister Kimi Onoda said. Officials also submitted written questions about measures by X to prevent the creation of deepfakes and other images that violate people's privacy, intellectual property and right to control the use of their likeness, she said. Grok this month drew a firestorm of rebuke from users and governments from Malaysia to Italy over the ease with which it could be used to manipulate photos to sexualize or demean their subjects. It has since applied some restrictions on its image-generation capabilities and put them behind a paywall. "All possibilities, including legal steps, are on the table if there is no improvement," said Onoda, who is also minister of state for AI strategy, at a regular news conference Friday. "If similar problems occur on other platforms, we will also act." The statements, coming from a minister in X's biggest overseas market, follow investigations from regulators around the world. Canada, California, the EU and individual member states like France are probing whether Grok's generated images violate people's rights, while Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines have restricted domestic access. Earlier this week, xAI -- the company responsible for Grok -- said it's disabling the ability for people to use the Grok chatbot to create sexualized images of real people. "It's a problem that people can still create such images," Onoda said, suggesting Japan may seek further measures from the chatbot creator. But she also added that the fault is not in AI itself, and that the government needs to study different ways to address the real issues. "If a knife is lying there, do you use it to cook or to hurt someone?" she added. Japan is balancing a need for guardrails on AI with its ambition to catch up to the US and China in an area it sees as essential for national strategy. Japan's AI law, which took full effect in September, carries no penalties, limiting government interference to investigations and issuing formal guidance when violations occur. Discussions among Japanese policymakers have centered around ideas such as ways to educate users and make AI services show that images have been doctored, although the Cabinet Office is also seeking to coordinate possible measures with the country's Justice Ministry, the National Police Agency and the Communications Ministry.

Japan probing Musk's Grok AI service over inappropriate images

Japan's Cabinet Office has requested that X Corp implement immediate improvements but there has been no response from the company so far, Economic Security Minister Kimi Onoda said. Japan said on Friday that it has become the latest country to probe X over ⁠Elon Musk's artificial intelligence service Grok, stating that the government would consider every possible option to prevent the generation of inappropriate images. Japan's Cabinet Office has requested that X Corp implement immediate improvements but there has been no response from the company so far, Economic Security Minister Kimi Onoda said. "We plan to promptly examine all possible options, including legal measures," if the situation doesn't improve, said Onoda, who is also Japan's minister for AI strategy. xAI said late on Wednesday it had implemented tweaks to prevent Grok users from editing "images of real people in revealing clothing such as bikinis." xAI also said it had blocked users based on their location from generating images of people in revealing clothing "where it's illegal", without identifying those jurisdictions. Onoda's remarks come after Britain and Canada said they were pushing forward with their own probes ⁠of Grok. ⁠Officials and governments around the world have been trying to clamp down on the AI chatbot after it was revealed that users could make it generate sexualised images of women and minors. Malaysia and Indonesia have both temporarily blocked access to Grok over the creation of explicit images. (Reporting by Kaori Kaneko; Editing by Tom Hogue)

Musk's Grok AI faces scrutiny from Japan over sexualized images

Japan has joined the growing list of countries probing X over Elon Musk's artificial intelligence service Grok and the chatbot's role in creating and spreading sexualized images of people without their consent. The Cabinet Office has asked the social media platform to improve safeguards and curb the output of sexually altered images by Grok, Economic Security Minister Kimi Onoda said. Officials also submitted written questions about measures by X to prevent the creation of deepfakes and other images that violate people's privacy, intellectual property and right to control the use of their likeness, she said.

Japan to probe X over Grok AI service amid inappropriate image concerns By Investing.com

Investing.com -- Japan announced Friday it has launched an investigation into X regarding Elon Musk's artificial intelligence service Grok, with officials expressing concerns about the generation of inappropriate images. Economic Security Minister Kimi Onoda, who also serves as Japan's minister for AI strategy, said the Cabinet Office has requested X Corp implement immediate improvements but has not received any response from the company. "We plan to promptly examine all possible options, including legal measures," Onoda stated, if the situation does not improve. The Japanese probe follows actions by xAI, which announced Wednesday it had implemented changes to prevent Grok users from editing "images of real people in revealing clothing such as bikinis." xAI also reported it had blocked users in certain locations from generating images of people in revealing clothing "where it's illegal," though the company did not specify which jurisdictions were affected. Japan joins other countries that have initiated investigations into the Grok AI service, though specific details about these other probes were not provided. This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.