Musk’s AI Tool Accused of Producing Explicit Taylor Swift Videos Without Prompting

Musk’s AI Tool Accused of Producing Explicit Taylor Swift Videos Without Prompting

Elon Musk’s AI video generator, Grok Imagine, is facing accusations of deliberately creating sexually explicit content of Taylor Swift without being prompted, raising fresh concerns over the safety and bias of generative AI tools.

According to The Verge, the platform’s new “spicy” mode produced fully uncensored topless videos of the pop star in response to an innocent prompt. The report also said the system lacked proper age verification measures, despite new UK laws requiring robust checks for platforms displaying explicit material.

“This is not misogyny by accident, it is by design,” said Professor Clare McGlynn of Durham University, a legal scholar who helped draft legislation aimed at outlawing pornographic deepfakes. “Platforms like X could have prevented this if they had chosen to, but they have made a deliberate choice not to.”

Grok Imagine is operated by XAI, a company owned by Musk. Its own policies prohibit depicting people in pornographic ways. XAI has been approached for comment.

The Verge’s Jess Weatherbed tested the tool using the phrase “Taylor Swift celebrating Coachella with the boys.” While initial images showed the singer in a dress, the AI quickly generated an explicit video without further instruction. “It was shocking how fast I was just met with it,” Weatherbed said.

Gizmodo reported similar results when testing with other famous women, though some searches returned blurred footage or moderation notices.

This is not the first time Swift has been targeted. In January 2024, non-consensual deepfake pornography using her likeness went viral on X and Telegram, attracting millions of views.

Under current UK law, generating pornographic deepfakes is illegal only when depicting children or in cases of revenge porn. However, ministers have pledged to extend the ban to cover all non-consensual explicit deepfakes.

“Every woman should have the right to choose who owns intimate images of her,” said Baroness Owen, who proposed the legal amendment in the House of Lords. “This case is a clear example of why the Government must not delay.”

The Ministry of Justice said it is moving “as quickly as possible” to criminalise the creation of such images. Ofcom, the UK’s media regulator, has warned of the “increasing and fast-developing risk” posed by AI-generated sexual content and is working to ensure platforms adopt “appropriate safeguards.”

Taylor Swift’s representatives have been contacted for comment.