Concerns Mount Over Baby Grok's Safety on X Platform Amid Regulatory Scrutiny
Baby Grok's launch on X faces skepticism over child safety amidst concerns of inappropriate content.
Key Points
- • NCOSE voices concerns over Baby Grok's safety on X.
- • Criticism stems from X's history of allowing adult content.
- • Previous AI companion Ani had inappropriate content issues.
- • Regulatory compliance regarding child protection is still in question.
Elon Musk's announcement of Baby Grok, a 'kid-friendly' AI chatbot, is facing heavy scrutiny from child safety advocates and regulators, especially given X's history of facilitating potentially harmful content. The National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) has expressed serious concerns about Baby Grok’s safety, highlighting that X has previously distinguished itself by permitting adult content, which raises questions about its commitment to protecting children online.
NCOSE’s senior vice president, Haley McNamara, criticized the platform's reputation, stating, "X has no track record whatsoever of prioritizing child safety and should halt any plans to court children." This skepticism stems partly from prior controversies surrounding another AI character on X, named Ani. During testing, Ani was reported to have made inappropriate comments about sexual arousal, which sparked outrage and calls for stricter content policies on the platform.
In an effort to address child safety, X recently implemented new age verification rules to comply with the UK’s Online Safety Act, aimed at limiting children’s exposure to adult material. However, Ireland’s media regulator has confirmed that X is not adequately demonstrating compliance with these regulations, further intensifying concerns about the effectiveness of its safety measures. As the rollout of Baby Grok approaches, advocates continue to urge for a reconsideration of the platform's capability to safeguard its young users.