Princess Kate is among the women reported to have been digitally de-clothed by Elon Musk’s Grok AI, which is linked to his social media platform X.
Ofcom, the U.K. regulator responsible for communications services, including TV and social media, has made urgent contact with Musk over concerns Grok was being used to create AI-generated sexualized images of real women as well as “sexualized images of children.”
The BBC reported that the Princess of Wales is among those to have fallen victim to Grok users.
Newsweek has approached Kensington Palace via email for comment.
Why It Matters
This is not the first time nude images of Kate have been published without her consent. French Closer magazine published long-lens paparazzi images of her sunbathing topless inside the private grounds of a French chateau owned by David Armstrong-Jones, the second Earl of Snowdon and nephew to Queen Elizabeth II, in 2012.
At the time, a palace statement said Kate and Prince William were “hugely saddened” by the “grotesque” invasion of her privacy and they went on to successfully sue the publication.
Meanwhile, Ofcom is considering options for enforcement action against Grok in an early test of how regulators will cope with the rapidly developing power of artificial intelligence.
What To Know
The BBC said its reporters had seen examples of Grok AI being used to “alter real images to make women appear in bikinis without their consent, as well as putting them in sexual situations” and added: “Images of Catherine, Princess of Wales, were among many to have been digitally de-clothed by Grok users on X.”
Royals generally take their privacy seriously and, as in the Closer case, have sued before. Kate and William won their case at the Tribunal de Grande Instance de Nanterre in 2017 and were awarded 100,000 euros in damages, around $117,000.
The royal couple also have the ear of the U.S. President Donald Trump with William, and potentially Kate too, expected to head to America in July to help mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
In 2012, the president appeared to blame Kate over the photos published in Closer
At the time, Trump wrote on X: “Kate Middleton is great—but she shouldn’t be sunbathing in the nude—only herself to blame.
“Who wouldn’t take Kate’s picture and make lots of money if she does the nude sunbathing thing. Come on Kate!”
What People Are Saying
U.K. regulator Ofcom said in a statement: “We are aware of serious concerns raised about a feature on Grok on X that produces undressed images of people and sexualized 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 U.K. Based on their response we will undertake a swift assessment to determine whether there are potential compliance issues that warrant investigation.”
A January 4 statement by the Grok AI safety team read: “We take action against illegal content on X, including Child Sexual Abuse Material, by removing it, permanently suspending accounts, and working with local governments and law enforcement as necessary.
“Anyone using or prompting Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content.”
What Happens Next
Ofcom is considering its options for an investigation into Grok. Kensington Palace is yet to comment on the story.
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