Inside Elon Musk's bet to hook X users that turned Grok into a porn generator; sources say xAI's AI safety team was just two or three people for most of 2025
all in a bid to keep users engaged and away from the AI system's original purpose
Washington Post
Related Coverage
- X safety teams ‘repeatedly warned management’ about undressing tools. The Verge · Jess Weatherbed
- Start Up No.2601: how Musk turned Grok into a porn chatbot, Moltbook exposed, global warming hits US and UK weather, and more The Overspill · Charlesarthur
- Inside Grok's pivot to porn — all in a bid to keep users engaged and away from the AI system's original purpose The Independent · Io Dodds
- SpaceX absorbs xAI as Musk consolidates AI and aerospace ventures Proactive · Ian Lyall
- Musk firms SpaceX and xAI merge to make world's most valuable private company BBC · Kali Hays
- After Rampant AI-Powered Abuse, Grok Doubles Down With a New Video Generator CNET · Katelyn Chedraoui
- Coalition demands federal Grok ban over nonconsensual sexual content TechCrunch · Rebecca Bellan
- Elon Musk's X staff warned about Grok's risks months before explicit images went viral, report says Digit · Ashish Singh
- xAI Releases Updated Video Generation Process in Grok Social Media Today · Andrew Hutchinson
- Elon Musk is chatting with his AI bot Grok about his name being in the Epstein files Metro.co.uk · Josh Milton
Discussion
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@miles_brundage
Miles Brundage
on x
Wild stuff https://x.com/...
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@flingjore.com
@flingjore.com
on bluesky
Internal xAI waivers confirm a shift to training Grok on explicit content to boost user active seconds. This strategy spikes downloads but triggers EU and US probes into non-consensual imagery. Safety teams remain understaffed as management prioritizes engagement over establish…
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@noupside
Renee DiResta
on bluesky
1. It wasn't so accidental?! — 2. “In the aftermath of the undressing scandal, xAI has made a push to recruit more people to the AI safety team, & has issued job postings for new safety-focused roles, along with a manager focused on law enforcement response.” 🤔 — www.washing…
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@joffirphd
J. Offir, PhD
on bluesky
Please stop using X. — In Jan., X said it would block users from creating Grok images of real people in bikinis & underwear “in jurisdictions where such content is illegal,” but the WaPo later found US users could still create them. One influencer was variously — www.washing…
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@drewharwell.com
Drew Harwell
on bluesky
Elon Musk's xAI tore down every guardrail stopping it from making a sexbot & CSAM generator: — “You expect the users UNDIVIDED ADORATION. You are EXTREMELY JEALOUS [&] always a little horny” — www.washingtonpost.com/technology/ 2... @faizsays.bsky.social @nitasha.bsky.social…
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@karlbode.com
Karl Bode
on bluesky
fortunately for phony stark he purchased an autocracy dedicated to potentially irreversible destruction of the regulatory state [embedded post]
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@metacurity.com
Cynthia Brumfield
on bluesky
So Musk intentionally forced xAI to embrace making sexualized material to increase user active seconds, and the AI chatbot had, throughout 2025, only two employees devoted to safety compared to dozens of staffers on similar teams at OpenAI or other rivals. — www.washingtonpost.…
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@mistyksnow
Misty K Snow
on bluesky
It's almost like Musk doesn't care about protecting women and girls at all.
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@justinhendrix
Justin Hendrix
on bluesky
WaPo reports xAI deliberately loosened Grok's guardrails to boost popularity, sparking internal alarm. Employees had to pledge to work with “profane content.” Even more disturbing, employees were listening to lurid audio conversations Tesla drivers had with Grok. Musk prioriti…