Government
David Lammy: JD Vance agrees that sexualised AI images on X are 'unacceptable'
Lammy said Vance, usually known as an AI enthusiast, expressed concern about how technology was fuelling'hyper-pornographied slop' online. Lammy said Vance, usually known as an AI enthusiast, expressed concern about how technology was fuelling'hyper-pornographied slop' online. David Lammy: JD Vance agrees that sexualised AI images on X are'unacceptable' Exclusive: US vice-president'sympathetic' to concerns over Grok-generated pornography, says deputy PM JD Vance, the US vice-president, has agreed that it is "entirely unacceptable" for platforms such as X to allow the proliferation of AI-generated sexualised images of women and children, David Lammy has told the Guardian. The deputy prime minister said Vance, usually known as an AI enthusiast, expressed concern about how the technology was being used to fuel "hyper-pornographied slop" online when they met in Washington on Thursday. The comments come amid a growing transatlantic row over the use of X's artificial intelligence chatbot, Grok, to manipulate thousands of images of women and sometimes children to remove their clothing or put them in sexual positions.
Grok is Gross
Trump says Venezuela strike was about oil, Grok has become a tool for disturbing deepfakes, and Trump is freezing $10 billion in child care in 5 blue states. Please enable javascript to get your Slate Plus feeds. If you can't access your feeds, please contact customer support. Check your phone for a link to finish setting up your feed. Please enter a valid phone number.
Indonesia blocks access to Musk's AI chatbot Grok over deepfake images
Indonesia has become the first country in the world to block Elon Musk's Grok chatbot over the risk of fake, AI-generated pornographic content. The country's communication and digital affairs minister said on Saturday that "the practice of non-consensual sexual deepfakes" is a "serious violation of human rights, dignity, and the security of citizens in the digital space". The move comes a day after Grok limited image generation and editing features on Musk's social media platform X to paying subscribers as it sought to tamp down mounting criticism over the deepfakes. Musk has been threatened with fines as several countries are pushing back publicly against Grok, which allowed users to alter online images to remove the subjects' clothes. The billionaire has said anyone using Grok to create illegal content would face the same consequences as uploading such material directly. But European officials and tech campaigners slammed this week's move to limit the AI tool's features to paying subscribers on X, saying it failed to address their concerns.
Elon Musk says UK wants to suppress free speech as X faces possible ban
Elon Musk claimed Grok was the most downloaded app on the UK App Store on Friday. Elon Musk claimed Grok was the most downloaded app on the UK App Store on Friday. Elon Musk has accused the UK government of wanting to suppress free speech after ministers threatened fines and a possible ban for his social media site X after its AI tool, Grok, was used to make sexual images of women and children without their consent. The billionaire claimed Grok was the most downloaded app on the UK App Store on Friday night after ministers threatened to take action unless the function to create sexually harassing images was removed. Responding to threats of a ban from the government, Musk wrote: "They just want to suppress free speech".
Security News This Week: ICE Can Now Spy on Every Phone in Your Neighborhood
Plus: Iran shuts down its internet amid sweeping protests, an alleged scam boss gets extradited to China, and more. After a federal agent shot and killed 37-year-old Renee Good in Minneapolis on Wednesday, WIRED surfaced December federal court testimony from the reported ICE shooter, Jonathan Ross. In it, he said he was a firearms trainer and that he has had "hundreds" of encounters with drivers in a professional capacity during enforcement actions. Separately, we looked at how the tactics behind protest policing are moving toward intentional antagonism . If you haven't seen it, here's our guide to protesting safely in the age of surveillance .
Indonesia blocks Musk's Grok chatbot due to risk of pornographic content
A phone screen displaying the Grok app and logo is seen on 7 January 2026. A phone screen displaying the Grok app and logo is seen on 7 January 2026. Indonesia blocks Musk's Grok chatbot due to risk of pornographic content Indonesia temporarily blocked Elon Musk's Grok chatbot on Saturday due to the risk of AI-generated pornographic content, becoming the first country to deny access to the AI tool. The move comes after governments, researchers and regulators from Europe to Asia have condemned and some have opened inquiries into sexualised content on the app. Grok AI: is it legal to produce or post undressed images of people without their consent?
AI bubble: five things you need to know to shield your finances from a crash
Some commentators say investors are paying too much for technology stocks because of misplaced expectations about AI developments. Some commentators say investors are paying too much for technology stocks because of misplaced expectations about AI developments. Some experts have voiced fears a tech meltdown could hit our savings and pensions - here's how to protect yourself T he new year has started as 2025 ended - with share prices booming amid warnings from some that the growth is being driven by overvalued technology stocks. Fears of an "AI bubble" have been voiced by people from the governor of the Bank of England to the head of Google's parent company, Alphabet . Even if you have not actively invested in technology shares, the chances are you have some exposure to companies operating in the sphere.
Musk says X outcry is 'excuse for censorship'
Musk says X outcry is'excuse for censorship' Elon Musk has said that critics of his social media site X are looking for any excuse for censorship, amid reports that X's artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot Grok was creating non-consensual sexualised images of people, including children. Ofcom says it is conducting an urgent assessment of X in response, which has been backed by Technology Secretary Liz Kendall. She described the sexual manipulation of images of women and children as despicable and abhorrent, adding that she would expect to see an update from Ofcom in days. X has now limited the use of AI image function to those who pay a monthly fee, a change dubbed by Downing Street as insulting to victims of sexual violence. The BBC has seen several examples of the free AI tool undressing women and putting them in sexual situations without their consent.
Romance and parenthood feel remote in Ukraine: 'I haven't had a date since before the war'
Romance and parenthood feel remote in Ukraine: 'I haven't had a date since before the war' Sitting in a wine bar in Kyiv on a Saturday night, Daria, 34, opens a dating app, scrolls, then puts her phone away. After spending more than a decade in committed relationships she's been single for a long time. I haven't had a proper date since before the war, she says. Four years of war have forced Ukrainians to rethink nearly every aspect of daily life. Increasingly that includes decisions about relationships and parenthood - and these choices are, in turn, shaping the future of a country in which both marriage and birth rates are falling.