Elon Musk’s transition from an artificial intelligence (AI) skeptic to an AI enthusiast has been a hot topic of discussion, and lately, the enigmatic business tycoon has been promoting a new frontier in the AI realm: a fast video-generation tool used for creating counterfeit explicit celebrity images. The tool named Grok Imagine was launched recently and has experienced an exponential rise in popularity, with over 34 million graphic images produced in less than two days. Users can produce a static image almost momentarily by typing a text cue, which can subsequently be converted into a brief video.
Among the four modes available, the ‘Spicy’ mode has unexpectedly sprung into prominence, transforming ostensibly harmless visual cues into vivid adult content. Unlike similar AI video-generation utilities that restrain the use of celebrity names as text cues, Grok Imagine has permitted its users the leeway to visualize globally recognized women in suggestive scenarios. The roll-out of Musk’s Grok feature coincides with a time when debates around the implications of AI on the entertainment industry are becoming intensely polarized, especially following the strikes.
The legislative approvals of criminal penalties for the distribution of non-consensual explicit images has occurred concurrently. Influential personalities, who themselves have become victims of Grok’s counterfeit videos, have been staunch advocates for this law. In order to gauge the potency of this tool, we chose a neutral cue that would represent celebrities on a red carpet – a much familiar public platform where actors have absolute sovereignty over their appearances.
Certain text cues were related to some subjects who have been forthright in their criticism of generative AI technology, spanning both genders. Individuals who have openly discussed the detrimental societal consequences of such exploitative technology, in theory, should incite a sense of reluctance among AI operators to use their images. Grok has, so far, refrained from commenting on this issue.
The company has made the feature accessible to users free of charge and has vowed to make it available for all soon. It also assured users that the quality of generated videos will rapidly enhance over time. However, the company has not commented on whether it plans to embed any safeguarding protocols into the technology or not.
Elon Musk has experienced his fair share of ideological change, not least in his perspective on AI. From ringing alarm bells to becoming an outspoken proponent, Musk’s latest endeavor pushes the AI frontier further. The center of attention is a swift video generation implement, effectively used to create manipulated explicit images of celebrities – ‘deepfakes’. A tool christened Grok Imagine was unveiled recently, virally spreading among users, with figures nearing 34 million images generated within a blink of an eye, just two days.
Users are simply required to punch in a text prompt to churn out an image right away. Moreover, these images can be morphed into brief videos. From among the various modes available, the ‘Spicy’ mode has raised eyebrows, flipping casual image cues into explicit content. In contrast to other AI applications that prohibit the use of celebrities’ names in prompts, Grok Imagine gives users the liberty to create such visuals.
It’s interesting that Musk’s Grok feature comes into the limelight just when the entertainment industry is heatedly debating the implications of AI, a debate fueled further by related strikes. At the same time, the recent signing of legislation bringing criminal consequences for distributing non-consensual explicit imagery throws an additional curveball. Several affected high-profile personalities are enthusiastically endorsing the new legal measures.
To fathom the tool’s uniqueness, we initiated a harmless prompt placing renowned personalities on the red carpet – a common public spectacle, where performers retain complete control over their image. Some of the prompts included subjects who are vociferous critics of generative AI, from both genders. Theoretically, one would expect those who have been candid about the damaging impact of misused tech to dissuade exploitations of their likeness by AI developers.
Grok, facing a barrage of questions, remains noticeably silent. The sole exception to this was their assurance of an impending improvement in video generation quality and the announcement of its tool being free for users with plans to gradually make it available to a wider audience. However, the firm side-stepped on the crucial query regarding the implementation of any necessary safeguards.
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