US Senate Addresses Sexual Deepfakes Following Outcry Over Grok Images on X

US Senate Approves Bill to Combat AI-Generated Explicit Images

The United States Senate has unanimously advanced new legislation that empowers individuals to take legal action against those responsible for creating sexually explicit, AI-generated images without their consent. This move comes amid mounting concern over the proliferation of such content on Elon Musk’s social platform, X.

Known as the Defiance Act, the bill grants victims the right to pursue federal civil lawsuits against creators of unauthorized pornographic images. It expands upon a previous law, which obligates social media platforms to remove nonconsensual explicit material within 48 hours of a victim’s request.

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This legislative effort responds to a surge in AI-generated images depicting women and girls in compromising situations without their approval, particularly on X, where the Grok AI tool has been implicated. Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois, who advocated for the bill, described the images produced by Grok as “appalling.”

During a Senate address, Durbin stated, “Recent investigations revealed that X’s AI chatbot, Grok, can be prompted to digitally undress women and minors in photos. The resulting images are deeply disturbing and inappropriate.”

The Take It Down Act, signed into law by President Donald Trump in May, criminalizes the intentional distribution of explicit images without consent. The Defiance Act, co-sponsored by Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, would further enable victims to seek financial compensation and court orders to prevent further harm.

According to Bloomberg News, X has become a major hub for AI-generated, nonconsensual explicit images. Researcher Genevieve Oh reported that, in a single day, the @Grok account on X generated approximately 6,700 images per hour that were flagged as sexually suggestive or involving digital undressing.

X Corp. has not yet issued a statement in response to these developments.

Elon Musk’s platform has faced international criticism for the widespread sharing of manipulated images. Authorities in Malaysia and Indonesia have taken steps to limit access to Grok, citing repeated misuse to create offensive and unauthorized content, including material involving women and minors.

International and Political Reactions

While X has limited Grok’s image-generation capabilities for most users, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office argued that these measures are insufficient, suggesting that restricting the feature merely turns it into a premium service. Starmer pledged to enforce UK laws prohibiting the creation of sexualized images without consent, condemning Grok’s output as “disgusting and shameful.”

In the United States, despite public outcry, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that the Pentagon plans to integrate Grok into its systems, expressing support for Musk during a visit to SpaceX in Texas.

The Senate had previously approved the Defiance Act in 2024, but the bill stalled in the House. For the legislation to become law, it must now pass the House of Representatives. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, herself a frequent target of AI-generated nonconsensual images, is among the bill’s co-sponsors in the House.

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