The Government Need To Take Action Over Grok Deepfakes
The Government Need To Take Action Over Grok Deepfakes
Under Irish law, specifically Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2017, this is considered Child Sexual Abuse Material and is illegal.
Pressure is mounting on the Government to act over Grok, the AI chatbot linked to Elon Musk’s platform X, after it emerged the tool has been used to create and circulate sexually explicit images of women and children. A recent study by Rolling Stone has revealed that the platform generated one non consensual sexualised image, often of minors or ‘child-like figures’ every 60 seconds during a 24 hour period.
Under Irish law, specifically Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2017, this is considered Child Sexual Abuse Material and is illegal.
Ireland’s media regulator, Coimisiún na Meán, has confirmed it is now engaging with the European Commission on the issue. Other regulators and safety watchdogs across the globe have also raised concerns on the issue, including the UK’s Ofcom, the Internet Watch Foundation, and European authorities.
The Green Party has called for swift action from Irish authorities, warning that existing laws may already be being breached. Hazel Chu, the party’s spokesperson on media and digitalisation, said social media companies have repeatedly shown “complete disdain” for the real-world consequences of their platforms.
“Coimisiún na Meán must step up and act,” she said. “It was set up to regulate these companies and to protect vulnerable users, and it should be using its powers to do exactly that. This is a potential criminal breach that warrants immediate action.”
Patrick Costello, the Green Party’s justice spokesperson, said serious questions need to be answered around Coco’s Law, child sexual abuse material legislation and X’s responsibility for the harm caused. “At the very least, gardaí should be investigating X for breaches of the law and holding the company and its board accountable,” he said.
X has said it removes illegal content from the platform, including child sexual abuse material, and works with law enforcement when required. The company said anyone using or prompting Grok to generate illegal content will face the same consequences as those who upload it directly. But the question is, how was the content allowed to be made on the platform in the first place?
Elsewhere on District: How District Survived 10 Years of Chaos
