Why nobody’s stopping Grok

Jan 22, 2026 11:45 PM - 5 months ago 160532

Today’s section of Decoder is astir X, Grok, and Elon Musk. By now we’re respective weeks into 1 of the worst, astir upsetting, and astir stupidly irresponsible AI controversies successful the short history of generative AI. Grok, the chatbot made by Elon Musk’s xAI, is capable to make each mode of AI-generated images, including nonconsensual friendly images of women and minors.

Because Grok is connected to X, the level formerly known arsenic Twitter, users tin simply inquire Grok to edit immoderate image connected that platform, and Grok will mostly do it and past administer that image crossed the full platform. Across the past fewer weeks, X and Elon person claimed complete and complete that various guardrails person been imposed, but up until now they’ve been mostly trivial to get around. It’s now go clear that Elon wants Grok to beryllium capable to do this, and he’s very irritated pinch anyone who wants him to stop, peculiarly the various governments astir the world that are threatening to return ineligible action against X.

This is 1 of those situations wherever if you conscionable picture the problem to someone, they will intuitively consciousness for illustration personification should beryllium capable to do thing astir it. It’s existent — personification should beryllium capable to do thing astir a one-click harassment instrumentality for illustration this that’s generating images of women and children without their consent. But who has that power, and what they tin do pinch it, is simply a profoundly analyzable question, and it’s tied up successful the thorny messiness of history that is contented moderation and the ineligible precedents that underpin it. So I invited Riana Pfefferkorn connected the show to travel talk maine done each of this.

Riana has joined maine before to explicate immoderate analyzable net moderation problems successful the past. Right now, she’s a argumentation chap astatine the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence, and she has a heavy inheritance successful what regulators and lawmakers successful the US and astir the world could do astir a problem for illustration Grok, if they truthful choose.

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So Riana really helped maine activity done the ineligible frameworks astatine play here, the various actors progressive that person leverage and could use unit to impact the situation, and wherever we mightiness spot this each spell arsenic xAI does harm power but mostly continues to vessel this merchandise that continues to do existent harm.

Here’s 1 point I’ve been reasoning astir a batch arsenic this full business has unfolded. Over the past 20 years aliases so, the thought of contented moderation has gone successful and retired of favour arsenic various kinds of societal and organization platforms person waxed and waned. The history of a level for illustration Reddit, for example, is conscionable a microcosm of the full history of contented moderation.

Around 2021, we deed a existent high-water people for the thought of moderation and the spot and information connected these platforms arsenic a whole. That’s erstwhile covid misinformation, predetermination lies, QAnon conspiracies, and incitement of mobs astatine the Capitol could really get you banned from astir of the awesome platforms… moreover if you were the president of the United States.

It’s safe to opportunity that era of contented moderation is over, and we’re now location acold much chaotic and laissez-faire. It’s imaginable Elon and his porn-y image generator will push that pendulum to plaything back, but moreover if it does, the outcomes mightiness still beryllium much analyzable than anyone wants.

If you’d for illustration to publication much astir what we discussed successful this episode, cheque retired these links:

  • Grok’s gross AI deepfakes problem | The Verge
  • Grok is undressing children — tin the rule extremity it? | The Verge
  • Tim Cook and Sundar Pichai are cowards | The Verge
  • Senate passes a measure that would fto nonconsensual deepfake victims writer | The Verge
  • EU looks to prohibition nudification apps pursuing Grok outrage | Politico
  • Grok flooded X pinch millions of sexualized images successful days | The New York Times
  • The Supreme Court conscionable upended net law, and I person questions | The Verge
  • Mother of Elon Musk’s boy sues xAI complete intersexual deepfake images | AP

Questions aliases comments astir this episode? Hit america up astatine [email protected]. We really do publication each email!

Decoder pinch Nilay Patel

A podcast from The Verge astir large ideas and different problems.

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