Elon Musk’s platform X, formerly Twitter, announced it would limit access to its image- and text-generating AI tool Grok. Right now, it’s only available to paying subscribers. This decision comes after increased pressure, especially in the last year, on the platform regarding how sexualized deepfakes of public figures and others were handled. The new limitation is intended to prevent potentially dangerous misuse of the feature that has received international outcry.
On Friday morning, Grok Messaged Users Seeking to Edit Uploaded Images. In response, they told them that “design and editing features like image generation and editing are now exclusive to paying subscribers.” This decision marks a significant departure from the platform’s previous efforts to moderate harmful content. It’s a development that’s particularly notable given X’s recent criticism for allowing the production and distribution of sexually explicit deepfakes.
Her co-lead professor Clare McGlynn is a leading authority on the legal regulation of pornography, sexual violence, and online abuse. Here’s what she had to say about the consequences of this ruling. She pointed out that it sounds a lot like X’s last year’s response to the deepfakes targeting singer Taylor Swift. At the time, the platform prevented searches for pornographic content created using deepfake videos of Swift.
McGlynn stated, “Instead of taking the responsible steps to ensure Grok could not be used for abusive purposes, it has withdrawn access for the vast majority of users.” Her comments do raise important concerns. She feels that holding back access to paying subscribers doesn’t address the root causes of the AI tools’ misuse.
The arrival of this subscription model illustrates the far-reaching impact of X’s new approach to feature management. Even if that’s true, critics would say, the goal of the initiative is to stop the abuse. They bring up serious issues surrounding accessibility and if it truly tackles the issue of harmful content.
“Musk has thrown his toys out of the pram in protest at being held to account for the tsunami of abuse,” McGlynn added, indicating that the platform’s management may be reacting defensively to external pressures rather than proactively addressing issues related to user safety and content moderation.
All these challenges notwithstanding, Grok remains a significant achievement as an AI tool to edit images on X. The platform’s overreach in limiting access underscores a broader issue in the governance of social media. In the background, companies are furiously working to strike that balance between user freedom and safety. Deciding how to constrain Grok’s use now will have lasting implications on how users learn to use AI features on social media platforms.