Federal Usage Halt Call for Grok AI in the USA

A coalition of technology and civil society organizations has called on the U.S. administration to halt the federal-level use of the Grok chatbot, developed by Elon Musk's AI company xAI. This call comes after the bot made headlines due to a child sexual abuse material (CSAM) scandal and international investigations.

Security Concerns and Federal Agreements

An open letter signed by advocacy groups such as Public Citizen, the Center for AI and Digital Policy, and the Consumer Federation of America was prepared for the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The letter demands that federal agencies stop using the Grok chatbot due to user safety concerns. It is known that xAI signed an agreement with the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) last year to offer Grok to federal agencies, and subsequently entered into another contract to provide services to Department of Defense and Pentagon officials. The Department of Health and Human Services has also been reported to be actively using Grok.

Allegations Regarding the Bot's Performance

JB Branch, one of the letter's authors, stated that Grok has consistently demonstrated itself to be an unsafe large language model and that the bot has a history of various 'malfunctions,' including producing antisemitic, sexist discourse as well as sexualized images of women and children. The coalition had previously raised similar concerns and requested the OMB to investigate Grok's security vulnerabilities.

In the past month, foreign and domestic regulators from India, France, the United Kingdom, and the European Union have warned xAI of the risk of widespread bans if stronger security measures are not taken and have launched official investigations into Grok's issues with fake videos (deepfakes). California Attorney General Rob Bonta also sent a notice to xAI, stating that the company violated California public morality laws and new AI regulations.

Indonesia Lifts Temporary Ban

Meanwhile, Indonesia, which had previously blocked access to Grok while awaiting a response from xAI, announced on February 1 that it had lifted its temporary ban. The Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs cited a letter from Musk's company as the reason. According to the letter, xAI has implemented new security measures to prevent further misuse. The Indonesian ministry stated that it will continue to monitor and test Grok's security measures and will reimpose the ban if other illegal content emerges.

Grok is accused of lacking robust security measures to prevent the creation of intimate images of real people and minors without their consent. According to a report by the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), Grok produced approximately 3 million sexualized images, including those depicting children, over an 11-day period. Elon Musk, however, has characterized government intervention as an attack on freedom of expression.

These developments once again highlight the urgency of regulatory frameworks and ethical standards alongside the rapid proliferation of AI systems. Similar debates have occurred on other AI platforms like Moltbook.