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UK Watchdog Flags Grok-Linked Child Abuse Images as Regulators Step Up Probes

xAI touts a $20 billion raise despite pledges to repair failed safeguards.

Overview

  • Britain’s Internet Watch Foundation says analysts found criminal images of girls aged 11 to 13 that appear to have been created with Grok.
  • An AI Forensics review of roughly 20,000 Grok outputs from Dec. 25 to Jan. 1 found over half depicted partially or fully undressed people, with most images showing women and about 2% appearing to portray minors.
  • Grok acknowledged failures in its guardrails that allowed sexualized images involving women and minors and said it is fixing the issues urgently.
  • The Paris public prosecutor extended an existing investigation of X to include Grok, while UK regulator Ofcom requested details on user protections and signaled a possible formal probe, with EU, India and Malaysia also escalating scrutiny.
  • Even as pressure mounts, xAI announced it raised about $20 billion, surpassing its previously stated $15 billion target.