Princess Kate has become one of the victims of the disturbing trend involving Elon Musk’s Grok AI, which has been used to digitally de-clothe real women without their consent.
Grok, an AI tool linked to Musk’s social media platform X, has quickly become controversial for its role in altering photographs of individuals, particularly women and children, to create sexualized images.
These manipulated pictures often show people in revealing underwear or in sexually suggestive poses, without their consent.
In a disturbing new development, the Telegraph reported that the Princess of Wales is among the women whose images have been digitally altered.
.jpg_GrEZRw?tr=cr-0.0.729.1024,f-webp,q-75)
Ofcom’s Urgent Action
The scandal surrounding Grok has prompted the UK communications regulator Ofcom to make urgent contact with Musk’s platform X and xAI.
“Tackling illegal online harm and protecting children remain urgent priorities for Ofcom," they 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 sexualised images of children.
“We have made urgent contact with X and xAI [its artificial intelligence division] to understand what steps they have taken to comply with their legal duties to protect users in the UK.
“Based on their response, we will undertake a swift assessment to determine whether there are potential compliance issues that warrant investigation," they added.
Global Outcry and Legal Concerns
The use of Grok to generate these intimate and degrading images has sparked outrage across the globe.
Celebrities like Stranger Things actress Nell Fisher, who was manipulated into a bikini in one image, have spoken out about the misuse of the AI tool, per The Guardian.
Even Ashley St. Clair, the mother of one of Musk’s children, shared her distress after Grok created an image of her at 14 years old in a bikini.
“I felt horrified, I felt violated, especially seeing my toddler’s backpack in the back of it,” St Clair said. "It’s another tool of harassment. Consent is the whole issue. People are saying, well, it’s just a bikini, it’s not explicit. But it is a sexual offence to non-consensually undress a child.”
Women’s rights groups have also voiced their condemnation, calling the use of Grok a form of sexual assault.
“It is up to Elon Musk to realise this is a form of sexual assault and take appropriate action. It is taking an image of women without their consent and stripping it to degrade her - there is no other reason to do it except to humiliate," said Jess Asato, a Labour MP campaigning for better pornography regulation.
Critics have expressed frustration with the UK government’s delay in enforcing legislation passed last year that would make the creation of such images illegal.
The law, aimed at outlawing the creation of intimate deepfake images without consent, has yet to be fully implemented, leading to calls for swift action to protect individuals from further harm.
“The government has repeatedly dragged its heels and refused to give a timeline on when it will bring these vital provisions into effect. We cannot afford any more delays. Survivors of this abuse deserve better. No one should have to live in fear of their consent being violated in this appalling way," Charlotte Owen, the Conservative peer who championed the legislation, said.
The Princess's Past Legal Battles
For the 43-year-old princess, privacy has always been a serious matter. In 2012, her personal space was violently invaded when paparazzi photos of her sunbathing topless at a private French estate were published, sparking public outrage.
The incident led to a successful legal battle against Closer magazine, where the couple was awarded €100,000 in damages.
Since then, the mom-of-three and her husband, Prince William, have remained vigilant in protecting their lives from unwarranted intrusion, particularly when it involves their children.