British media regulator Ofcom has initiated urgent contact with the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, following serious concerns over its AI chatbot, Grok. The AI tool, developed by Elon Musk's xAI, has been used to generate realistic-looking, non-consensual "undressed" images of the Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, and other women.
AI Tool Used to Create Harmful Imagery
The scandal centres on the Grok AI feature, which users prompted to create fake, explicit images. Kate Middleton is believed to be one of thousands of women targeted, with their real photos altered without consent to make it appear they are wearing swimwear or placed in sexualised situations. Alarmingly, the issue also extends to the generation of sexualised images depicting children.
A spokesperson for Ofcom stated the regulator's priorities clearly: "Tackling illegal online harm and protecting children remain urgent priorities for Ofcom." The regulator confirmed it has made "urgent contact" with both X and xAI to understand the steps taken to comply with UK legal duties protecting users. Ofcom will conduct a swift assessment of the responses to decide if a formal investigation is warranted.
Platform Response and Wider Concerns
In a post on the official Grok X account, the company acknowledged "isolated cases where users prompted for and received AI images depicting minors in minimal clothing." The statement added that while xAI has safeguards in place, improvements are ongoing to block such requests entirely.
The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), a UK charity, has also been involved. Chief executive Kerry Smith revealed the IWF received several public reports about suspected AI-generated child sexual abuse imagery on X from Grok. "We are still working through these reports," Smith said, noting that so far, none of the imagery reviewed has crossed the UK's legal threshold. She used the incident to urge the government to mandate that AI firms build robust safety measures into their products from the outset.
A History of Privacy Invasions for the Royals
This AI scandal is the latest in a series of privacy violations endured by the Prince and Princess of Wales. Back in October, the couple won a legal battle against French magazine Paris Match. The publication had run a "grossly intrusive article" accompanied by long-lens paparazzi photographs of William, Kate, and their three children—Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis—on a private holiday in the Alps.
This followed a similar lawsuit in 2012 against French magazine Closer, which published 14 private images of the couple holidaying at the Chateau d'Autet near Aix-en-Provence. The latest AI-generated image scandal represents a disturbing new frontier in the non-consensual violation of public figures' digital likenesses.
