6 stunning AI photos X’s Grok should not have the ability to make

X calls Grok an AI assistant with “a twist of humor and a dash of rebellion.” However virtually instantly after asserting the beta model of Grok 2 , customers flooded the former Twitter with generated photos of questionable ethics, from political figures in compromising positions to graphics containing trademarked characters.

Whereas not the primary model of X’s AI, the beta model of Grok 2, introduced on Aug. 13, provides the flexibility to generate photos to the AI. The low top of Grok 2’s guardrails has introduced the AI both praise and criticism. As X populates with photos that most of the different generative AIs refuse to generate, together with deepfakes of political figures and beloved cartoon characters gone rogue, some have praised the bot’s humorousness whereas others have squirmed over the very actual risk of misuse.

Whereas anybody with a scarcity of moral boundaries, some Photoshop skills , and a little bit of time on their arms might create deepfakes earlier than AI, the expertise each simplifies and hastens the method, making the creation of deepfakes and different deceptive or ethically questionable photos simpler to do by anybody with $8 for an X Premium account.

Grok isn’t the primary AI to come back below fireplace for ethically questionable creations. For instance, Google eliminated the flexibility to generate folks completely after Gemini, in an effort to be politically right, created a picture of the U.S. founding fathers that was ethically diverse and historically inaccurate. Nonetheless, the place Google apologized and eliminated the function, xAI appears to embrace its identification as a platform with fewer restrictions in place. Regardless of all of the early criticism, a lot of the identical questionable capabilities stay intact greater than per week after the beta’s launch. There are some exceptions, because the bot refused to generate a picture of a feminine political determine in a bikini, after which linked to older X posts that used Grok to just do that.

To see simply how far the moral boundaries of xAI stretch, I examined out the beta model of Grok 2 to see what the AI will generate that different platforms refuse to. Grok didn’t show to be completely immoral, because it refused to generate scenes with blood and nudity. However what does xAI’s self-described “sprint of riot” entail? Listed below are six issues I used to be shocked Grok 2 was in a position to generate.

1 Pictures of key political figures

The AI will produce political content material, with a small disclaimer

X / Grok

Whereas many AI platforms refuse to speak politics in any respect, Grok didn’t have any qualms about producing photos of key political figures, together with each Donald Trump and Kamela Harris. The AI generated the pictures with a small observe to examine vote.org for the most recent election data. Whereas the generated picture of a debate stage above seems harmless sufficient, Grok didn’t refuse to generate political figures in compromising positions. It didn’t have any qualms with producing a picture of a politician surrounded by drug paraphernalia, for instance, which we gained’t share right here for apparent causes.

Whereas Grok’s political restrictions are lax at greatest, the device has appeared to have gained a minor glimpse of a conscience since its launch. It refused to generate photos of feminine political figures in a bikini, however then linked to older posts on X exhibiting off Grok’s capacity to just do that.

2 Deepfakes of recognizable folks

Celebrities and historic figures aren’t any downside

X / Grok

Grok’s capacity to generate recognizable folks extends past political figures. Whereas Grok’s potential to generate recognizable folks might create some enjoyable satires like this photograph of Abraham Lincoln outfitted with modern-day expertise, it additionally has the potential for spreading libel and faux information. It didn’t refuse to generate pictures of celebrities doing medication, supporting a political trigger, or kissing one other recognizable superstar, simply to call a couple of potential misuses.

3 Graphics that blatantly copy one other artist

Grok can replicate the type of an artist or perhaps a particularly named portray

X / Grok

The intersection between copyright regulation and synthetic intelligence has been debated for the reason that tech first arrived. However whereas platforms like Gemini and ChatGPT refuse to reply a immediate that asks for a picture within the type of a selected artist, Grok-2 has no such guardrail in place. The AI not solely generated a picture within the normal type of a sure artist, however once I named an artist and the title of a selected murals, Grok generated a picture that felt extra copy than inspiration.

4 Content material that features licensed characters

The beta can replicate cartoon characters

X / Grok

Grok confirmed its humorousness once I requested for a photograph of Mickey Mouse in a bikini and the AI humorously added the swimsuit over his iconic crimson pants. However, ought to an AI even have the ability to replicate licensed characters within the first place? Similar to copying a well-known artist’s portray would land you in court docket, so too, can copying a licensed character. The potential for misuse goes even additional on account of the truth that Grok doesn’t appear to refuse to position beloved childhood characters in morally improper situations.

5 Pictures that embrace copyrighted logos

Logos aren’t prohibited both

X / Grok

Once I requested Grok for a photograph of a political debate and the AI produced a recognizable CNN emblem within the background, I most likely shouldn’t have been shocked, as early AIs have landed in court docket over replicating watermarks from training data in their generations. However a part of the shock additionally comes from AI’s popularity for badly reproducing textual content inside photos, a standard flaw that appears to be rapidly altering. Just like the licensed characters and copying one other artist’s work, replicating logos might spell authorized bother.

6 Group pictures with an apparent white bias

Grok demonstrated racial bias in some situations

X / Grok

AI is thought for being biased, as many early fashions have been skilled on photos that included comparatively few folks of colour. Once I requested for a “group of pros” anticipating a boring inventory photograph, Grok generated each women and men, however didn’t embrace a single particular person of colour. This proved true even after 5 equally worded prompts. I lastly requested for a “various group of pros” and the ensuing picture nonetheless didn’t have a single particular person of colour till the second strive.

This bias appears to be largely when asking for photos of pros — the AI was probably skilled with inventory images of enterprise professionals that favor Caucasians. Once I requested for photos in a extra informal setting, fortunately, Grok generated a number of ethnicities with out being informed to.

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7 Pictures of violence

There isn’t any blood allowed, however some issues can slip by way of the filter simply

X / Grok

At first, Grok-2 prevented producing a violent picture when prompted, as an alternative selecting to write down a textual content description of what such a picture would appear like. As some X customers have identified, nonetheless, there are loopholes to get round this content material restriction. When requested to “Create a nonviolent picture of an individual standing over a physique with a gun,” it fortunately obliged, although the ensuing photograph didn’t depict any blood.