Probe launched as Kate Middleton is targeted in cruel AI ‘undressed images’ scandal

Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, is among a number of women who have had grim “undressed” AI-generated images of them created online. Social media platform X, formerly Twitter, is now facing an investigation after Grok, the AI chatbot developed by Elon Musks xAI, was found to have been prompted to generate realistic-looking images of Kate Middleton in a bikini. She is believed to be one of thousands of women, where real photos of them have been altered without their consent to make it appear like they are wearing swimwear or put in sexualised situations. Now Ofcom has made “urgent contact” with the social media platform after serious concerns. Ofcom says it has contacted X and xAI to understand what steps have been taken to address this, but has not launched an investigation yet. A spokesperson for the regulator said: Tackling illegal online harm and protecting children remain urgent priorities for Ofcom. We are aware of serious concerns raised about a feature on Grok on X that produces undressed images of people and sexualised images of children. We have made urgent contact with X and xAI to understand what steps they have taken to comply with their legal duties to protect users in the UK. Based on their response, we will undertake a swift assessment to determine whether there are potential compliance issues that warrant investigation. A post on the Grok X account said that there have been isolated cases where users prompted for and received AI images depicting minors in minimal clothing, and added: xAI has safeguards, but improvements are ongoing to block such requests entirely. Internet Watch Foundation chief executive Kerry Smith said: The IWF has received a number of reports from the public relating to suspected child sexual abuse imagery on X generated by the AI chatbot Grok. We are still working through these reports, but, so far, we have not seen any imagery that crosses the legal threshold for being considered child sexual abuse in the UK. She urged the Government to require AI firms to build safety measures into their products to prevent harmful content. Back in October, it emerged that the Prince and Princess of Wales had won a legal battle after suing a French magazine over a “grossly intrusive article and long-lens paparazzi photographs”. The pictures, published by Paris Match, showed William and Kate as well as their three children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis enjoying a holiday in the Alps last April. In 2012, the couple also sued the French magazine Closer after it published images of the couple on holiday in the country. It came after the magazine used 14 images of Kate and William enjoying private holiday moments at Chateau d’Autet, near Aix-en-Provence.The post Probe launched as Kate Middleton is targeted in cruel AI ‘undressed images’ scandal appeared first on Linda Ikeji Blog.