Grok, a chatbot developed by xAI, has faced criticism for churning out incorrect information about recent crises. Washington - Elon Musk's AI tool Grok faced growing international backlash Monday for generating sexualized deepfakes of women and minors, with the European Union joining the condemnation and Britain warning of an investigation. Complaints of abuse flooded the internet after the recent rollout of an "edit image" button on Grok, which enabled users to alter online images with prompts such as "put her in a bikini" or "remove her clothes." The digital undressing spree, which follows growing concerns among tech campaigners over proliferating AI "nudify" apps, prompted swift probes or calls for remedial action from countries including France, India and Malaysia. In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever. By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.

The information war will be fought through chatbots. Hours before President Donald Trump announced Nicolás Maduro's capture, on Saturday morning, people had questions for Grok, Elon Musk's chatbot. Footage was circulating on X of explosions in Venezuela, and some users assumed the United States was responsible: "Hey @grok why is Trump sending US airstrikes to bomb Venezuela. Do you think they deserve it or not?"one "@grok what is the reason why America is bombing Venezuela," another asked.

EU flags'appalling' child-like deepfakes generated by X's Grok AI The European Commission has condemned the reported spread of explicit, child-like content on social media platform X, calling the material "appalling" and "disgusting". European Union digital affairs spokesman Thomas Regnier made the comments to reporters on Monday following weeks of complaints over a new feature on X's integrated AI chatbot Grok used to generate pornographic content, including depicting children. Regnier said the European Commission is "very seriously looking" into the matter, and such content has "no place in Europe". Meanwhile, the public prosecutor's office in Paris, France expanded an investigation into X to include accusations that Grok - created by Elon Musk's xAI company - has been used to generate and spread child pornography. In late December, a novel "edit image" feature on Grok allowed users to modify any image on the platform.

This African penguin baby will sadly not be named after a hot dog. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. Last December, staff at Adventure Aquarium in Camden, New Jersey, celebrated the arrival of two newly hatched African penguin chicks (). Their births marked a big moment in conservation efforts for the critically endangered species, but even more good news was apparently on the way. Less than a month after welcoming Duffy and Oscar to the flock, Adventure Aquarium has announced newcomer.

Comedian Bill Maher and actor Tim Allen criticized DEI practices during the "Club Random" podcast, arguing diversity initiatives shouldn't impede creative processes.

Ofcom has made urgent contact with Elon Musk's company xAI following reports its AI tool Grok can be used to make sexualised images of children and undress women. A spokesperson for the regulator said it was also investigating concerns Grok has been producing undressed images of people. The BBC has seen several examples on the social media platform X of people asking the chatbot to alter real images to make women appear in bikinis without their consent, as well as putting them in sexual situations. X has not responded to a request for comment. On Sunday, it issued a warning to users not to use Grok to generate illegal content including child sexual abuse material.

It is difficult to think of a more influential figure in the arcade game industry than David Rosen, who has died aged 95. The co-founder of Sega, who remained a director of the company until 1996, was instrumental in the birth and rise of the video game business in Japan, and in the 1980s and 90s oversaw the establishment of Sega of America and the huge success of the Mega Drive console. As a US Air Force pilot during the Korean war, Rosen found himself stationed in Japan, and once the conflict was over, he stayed on, intrigued by the country and seeing possibilities in its recovering economy. In 1954 he set up Rosen Enterprises and noticing that Japanese civilians now required an increasing number of new ID cards he started importing photo booths from the US to answer the demand. From here he expanded to pinball tables and other coin-operated machines, importing them for installation in shops, restaurants and cinemas.

Fifty years after her death in New York, Hannah Arendt has become the most popular philosopher of our time. For good reason: Her views are just as timely as ever. It must be so nice to play Hannah Arendt. No fewer than five actresses are on stage this evening at the Deutsches Theater Berlin to portray the philosopher. The piece is an adaptation of the graphic novel by American illustrator Ken Krimstein about the philosopher's life, called The Three Escapes of Hannah Arendt," combined with scenes from the famous interview that journalist Günter Gaus conducted with Arendt in 1964 for German public broadcaster ZDF. The article you are reading originally appeared in German in issue 49/2025 (November 28th, 2025) of DER SPIEGEL. They play Arendt and a few of her contemporaries, the philosopher Martin Heidegger, the writer Walter Benjamin, her husband Heinrich Blücher. There is a great deal of speech in the play, especially from Arendt herself. The places of her life are ticked off, her ...

With human help, the mammals can defy'the world's most fundamental natural boundaries.' Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. Despite not exactly being world-renowned swimmers, pigs have spread across the Asia-Pacific region for thousands of years . With the genetic and archeological data from over 700 pigs, a team of scientists documented how people helped the mammals make their way across thousands of miles. "This research reveals what happens when people transport animals enormous distances, across one of the world's most fundamental natural boundaries," evolutionary geneticist and study co-author author Dr. David Stanton of the University of Cardiff and Queen Mary University of London said in a statement. "These movements led to pigs with a melting pot of ancestries. These patterns were technically very difficult to disentangle, but have ultimately helped us understand how and why animals came to be distributed across the Pacific islands."

The first CES announcements are already landing before the show floor opens. CES 2026 is still a day away from officially opening, but Sunday, January 4, delivered the first real wave of news. As has become tradition, the pre-show slate set the tone for the week ahead, anchored by Samsung's annual First Look press conference and CES Unveiled, the latter of which where hundreds of companies previewed products before the show floor opens on January 6. Samsung once again dominated the early conversation with its First Look event, using the stage to outline how it sees AI shaping everything from TVs to home appliances in the year ahead. Rather than focusing on individual specs, Samsung framed its 2026 lineup around adaptive experiences, with screens and devices designed to respond more intelligently to their environment and the people using them.