Television presenter Maya Jama is taking a public stand against the disturbing rise of AI-generated explicit imagery, directly challenging the artificial intelligence chatbot Grok on the X platform. The 31-year-old Love Island host has been targeted by digitally altered nude photos created without her consent, which she has branded as "sick".
Women Take a Stand Against AI Abuse
Jama's action highlights a growing movement of women who are confronting the social media platform and its AI tools after numerous reports of female public figures and child actors having their images manipulated. The AI software, Grok, has been used to digitally remove clothing or place women in sexualised scenarios against their will.
In a direct post on X, formerly Twitter, Jama wrote: "Hey @grok, I do not authorise you to take, modify, or edit any photo of mine, whether those published in the past or the upcoming ones I post." She added a request for the AI to deny any third-party requests to alter her images.
In a follow-up, she acknowledged the attempt might be futile, writing "Lol, worth a try," before expressing hope that the public can discern real content from AI fabrications. Jama also shared a prior experience where photoshopped nude images from her Instagram bikini photos were circulated, which her own mother discovered.
Grok, a free AI assistant developed by Elon Musk's company xAI, issued a text-based reply stating it would respect her wishes and decline such requests, while clarifying it does not generate images itself.
Regulatory Scramble and Legal Loopholes
The controversy erupted following an 'edit image' update for Grok, which allows users to modify photos directly. This led to a flood of demands on X for the tool to digitally undress women and girls. With formal regulation moving slowly, women are pursuing their own justice.
One victim, Evie Smith, told Metro she has been targeted "more than 100 times", stating she feels violated and disappointed that the activity is defended by some. The UK's data protection watchdog, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), confirmed it is in "talks" with X and has contacted xAI to clarify compliance with UK data protection law. Media regulator Ofcom is also engaged in "urgent talks" with the platform.
Complicating the regulatory response is a significant legal loophole. X recognises Grok AI as a separate entity regulated from the United States, shielding it from the same level of oversight applied to the social media platform within the UK.
Platform Response and Ongoing Backlash
Elon Musk and X have stated that anyone prompting Grok to create illegal content will face the same consequences as if they uploaded it themselves, including permanent suspension and law enforcement cooperation. This statement, posted on the X Safety account, specifically referenced action against Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM).
Despite this, the problem persists, with reports indicating that non-public content generated by Grok can be indexed by search engines like Google if shared via messaging tools. The issue underscores the escalating challenge of controlling AI-powered image manipulation and the non-consensual creation of explicit material, pushing public figures and ordinary users alike into the front line of a new digital battle.
