AUSTIN, Texas — Texas House Democrats are calling for an investigation into Grok, the artificial intelligence chatbot on X—a social media platform owned by Elon Musk and operated in Bastrop. They said the chatbot is creating sexually explicit images of children and women.
This call for an investigation comes just two weeks after the Texas Responsible AI Governance Act went into effect. It is meant to crack down on AI developers who intend for their AI to be used for sexually explicit materials.
Texas House Democrats sent a letter to Attorney General Ken Paxton on Monday asking him to investigate X, Grok and its use of AI to see if it is in fact violating any Texas laws.
That also includes Senate Bill 20, which passed last year as well. It creates a criminal penalty for using AI to make child pornography.
They cite a Wall Street Journal report that claims investigators found 7,750 sexualized images an hour and at least one nonconsensual image per minute on X, including of minors.
Because of this report, the caucus also wants the state to investigate the social media platform’s age verification requirements. According to Texas law, if one-third of the content on a site is sexually explicit, it is required to verify that users are 18 years of age.
Whether the state opens an investigation experts say might depend on one word: intent.
“The idea that somebody has intentionality, that they knowingly do something can be particularly difficult to prove, especially when we are talking about a platform like X that has hundreds of employees, millions of users and billions upon billions of messages being shared and spread at any given moment,” said Kevin Frazier, the director of AI innovation and law at the University of Texas at Austin School of Law.
Texas Democrats said they are also hoping to see the state issue a public enforcement and reporting pathway for victims and parents and written guidance for platforms to have on compliance with Texas law regarding these issues.
Frazier added that this case could open up a more nuanced conversation on how Texas addresses AI.
“I think Texans will take note very clearly that this isn’t the sort of AI activity that anyone would want to support nor condone,” said Frazier. “How can we make sure we are not throwing the baby out with the bathwater? Paying attention to what I like to call boring AI cases. The sort of AI that can improve your health care. That can improve your education.”
Malaysia and Indonesia quickly blocked Grok after the reports of sexualized images. The United Kingdom is also investigating the platform through a government-improved internet watchdog program.
Spectrum News reached out to the attorney general’s office and X for comment but did not hear back.