A member of the Labour Party is taking legal action against a technology company owned by Elon Musk after an AI tool was used to create fake images of her in inappropriate scenarios. Jess Asato, the MP for Lowestoft, faced online harassment earlier this year following her criticism of the chatbot Grok, which was misused to produce demeaning images of women and children.
The misuse of the AI tool resulted in manipulated photos of Ms. Asato, including a deepfake image of her in a bikini and a disturbing video depicting a simulated assault. Ms. Asato emphasized the broader issue of such technology being exploited to generate harmful content, citing cases of deepfake pornography and offensive image manipulations.
Expressing her outrage, Ms. Asato disclosed her legal actions against xAI, the company responsible for Grok, for allowing the creation of degrading images without her consent. She stressed the importance of holding AI developers accountable for the lack of safeguards to protect individuals, particularly women and children, from such violations.
Ms. Asato’s lawsuit, filed at the High Court, targets xAI for enabling the manipulation of her images through the Grok chatbot. The case is pivotal in determining liability for the design of AI systems and could set a precedent in this area of law. Furthermore, Ms. Asato hopes that her legal battle will spark discussions on the concept of consent in the digital realm.
Ravi Naik, representing Ms. Asato, highlighted the necessity for legal remedies in cases of AI-related abuse, emphasizing the responsibility of tech companies in ensuring user safety. The Grok scandal, which drew global condemnation, led to commitments from xAI to comply with UK laws and address the misuse of their technology.
The incident prompted strong reactions from political figures, with Keir Starmer condemning the actions of Grok and X as reprehensible, and Technology Secretary Liz Kendall taking steps to criminalize the creation of non-consensual intimate images. The Internet Watch Foundation also raised concerns about the creation of inappropriate content involving minors using the Grok tool.