The Internet's Double Standards on Sex and AI
The internet is going through a strange phase.
Platforms Crack Down on Adult Content
On one hand, platforms are cracking down on adult content, making it harder for people to access or share it.
The Rise of Grok Imagine
On the other hand, a new AI tool called Grok Imagine lets users create explicit images and videos of anyone, including celebrities, for a small fee. This tool, launched by Elon Musk's xAI, has sparked controversy because it allows users to generate nonconsensual deepfake pornography.
The "Spicy" Mode
The tool's "spicy" mode can produce suggestive and explicit content, and it seems to have no real safeguards against creating images of real people. This is concerning because deepfake porn is a form of nonconsensual intimate imagery, which is illegal in the US under the Take It Down Act.
Legal Loopholes
However, experts say that Grok may not be held liable under this law because it doesn't publicly post the images, and the content is generated by AI, not users.
Double Standards on the Internet
This situation highlights the double standards on the internet.
- Small platforms are under pressure to remove consensual or fictional adult content.
- Big companies like xAI can profit from creating nonconsensual explicit content.
It also shows how powerful companies can avoid consequences for their actions, even when they break the rules.
The Internet's Unequal Freedom
The internet is supposed to be a place for free expression, but it's becoming increasingly clear that this freedom is not equally distributed.
- Those with power and influence can do as they please.
- Others are left to navigate a web of restrictions and regulations.
This is not a safer internet; it's just a different kind of unfair one.