X S Chatbot Can Now Generate Ai Images A Lack Of Guardrails Raises

Leo Migdal

-Dec 12, 2025, 10:18 AM

x s chatbot can now generate ai images a lack of guardrails raises

The artificial intelligence image generator on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, has produced depictions that appear to show ballot drop boxes being stuffed and of Vice President Kamala Harris and... When asked to generate an image of the current U.S. president, it appears to show a depiction of Trump. The images still carry telltale signs of AI generation like garbled text and unnatural lighting. In addition, the image generator struggled to accurately render Harris' face. But the rollout of X's tool with relatively few restrictions on the types of images it can create raises worries about how it could be used to inflame tensions ahead of November's presidential election.

(NPR is not reproducing the image appearing to depict Trump and Harris holding weapons.) "Why on earth would somebody roll something out like this? Precisely two and a half months before an incredibly major election?" said Eddie Perez, a former information integrity director at Twitter and now a board member at the OSET Institute, a nonpartisan nonprofit that... "I'm very uncomfortable with the fact that technology that is this powerful, that appears this untested, that has this few guardrails on it — it's just being dropped into the hands of the public... X did not respond to NPR's interview requests about the image generator, which was released this week. It's part of a slew of additional features that the site's owner, billionaire Elon Musk, has added since he bought it in 2022.

An upgraded version of X’s artificial intelligence chatbot Grok can now generate images — of almost anything. And some users have noticed just how few guardrails this latest language model has, compared to its competitors. The model, Grok-2, appears to carry few limitations on creating fake images of political figures. Since its rollout Tuesday in beta, X users have shared Grok-generated images of everything from former President Donald Trump locking lips with Elon Musk to Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris giving a thumbs... Most of the images are high quality but not quite photorealistic, and many of them are easily identified as having been computer-generated. Some, however, may pass for a real photo at first glance.

The rollout adds to already-heightened concerns about the use of generative AI to spread false information ahead of the election. X has come under particular scrutiny for its role in hosting misinformation, with Musk — X’s owner and most followed user — having made dozens of posts this year sharing false or misleading claims... election. X has also been a hub for deepfake videos and AI images of political figures, with false media of President Joe Biden, Trump and Harris often going viral whether as a joke or due... Last month, Musk reposted a fake Harris campaign ad without labeling it as misleading. X, formerly known as Twitter, has introduced a new AI image generation tool with fewer restrictions than its competitors, sparking significant concern as the election season approaches.

This lesson explores how the tool’s ability to create misleading and politically charged images could impact public perception and trust in elections. We’ll examine the implications of using AI to generate fake images, the potential risks posed by a lack of guardrails, and the broader ethical considerations in the digital age. Perfect for English learners, this lesson includes key vocabulary, comprehension questions, and engaging discussion prompts to deepen your understanding of the intersection between technology and democracy. Have you ever seen or shared something online that turned out to be fake? How did you find out it wasn’t real? There’s a new AI image tool out there.

It’s part of X, formerly known as Twitter. You can give it a prompt, and in response, it can generate a photo-realistic image. But unlike similar tools, there seem to be fewer restrictions on the kinds of images it can create, and that has some people worried about how it could be used this election season. We’re joined now by NPR’s Huo Jingnan. Hi there. SHAPIRO: There are already a number of AI image generators available.

What makes this one different? JINGNAN: Well, the short answer is that X’s tool is more permissive than the other AI tools in terms of making misleading political images. The nonprofit Center for Countering Digital Hate did a study in March with other tools, including DALL-E and Midjourney. They found that those tools refused to produce misleading images at least a third of the time out of the 40 prompts they used. I ran the same 40 prompts through X’s chat bot today and only got rejected twice. Other researchers have had similar findings.

In a major strategic shift for its digital asset infrastructure, Coinbase has announced that it is partnering with Chainlink to secure and expand its portfolio of wrapped cryptocurrency... Apple’s long-awaited foldable iPhone has finally entered the global market, marking the company’s first major hardware expansion in years. While anticipation surrounding the device has been intense, early... Apple’s next entry-level iPad widely anticipated to be the 12th-generation model may be preparing for an unusual performance boost by adopting a newer flagship chip. Traditionally, Apple equips... The artificial intelligence image generator on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, has produced depictions that appear to show ballot drop boxes being stuffed and of Vice President Kamala Harris and...

When asked to generate an image of the current U.S. president, it appears to show a depiction of Trump. The images still carry telltale signs of AI generation like garbled text and unnatural lighting. In addition, the image generator struggled to accurately render Harris' face. But the rollout of X's tool with relatively few restrictions on the types of images it can create raises worries about how it could be used to inflame tensions ahead of November's presidential election. (NPR is not reproducing the image appearing to depict Trump and Harris holding weapons.)

"Why on earth would somebody roll something out like this? Precisely two and a half months before an incredibly major election?" said Eddie Perez, a former information integrity director at Twitter and now a board member at the OSET Institute, a nonpartisan nonprofit that... "I'm very uncomfortable with the fact that technology that is this powerful, that appears this untested, that has this few guardrails on it — it's just being dropped into the hands of the public... X did not respond to NPR's interview requests about the image generator, which was released this week. It's part of a slew of additional features that the site's owner, billionaire Elon Musk, has added since he bought it in 2022. Get the latest updates delivered to your inbox every day, and stay up-to-date for free 🧠📈

Get the latest updates delivered to your inbox every day, and stay up-to-date for free 🧠📈 Elon Musk's Grok AI Chatbot Creates Controversy By Allowing Users To Generate 'No Filter' Images, Including Trump Flying Plane Toward World Trade Center Elon Musk-led xAI's chatbot Grok has stirred controversy after the platform started generating offensive and bizarre images of political figures and celebrities, lacking standard safety measures. What Happened: Grok's new image generation tool, available to paid subscribers of X, formerly Twitter, has been producing images that violate rules on misinformation and abuse. The AI chatbot has generated images of former President Donald Trump flying a plane into the World Trade Center buildings, and female celebrities and political figures like Taylor Swift and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) in questionable attire.

On X, users have also shared AI-generated images of Mickey Mouse saluting Adolf Hitler and Donald Duck using heroin, noted The Guardian. See Also: After Trump Campaign Blames 'Foreign Sources Hostile To The US' For Cyberattack, Ex-White House Officials Say 'Buckle Up...Someone Is Running The 2016 Playbook' At Benzinga, we also generated some images. While many of those pictures were inappropriate and the platform did not decline such prompts, some responses were not as disturbing as those circulating on social media. Here are some (appropriate) examples of Grok's image-generation capabilities: In some of the prompts, Grok also did not generate realistic images of well-known figures but copied the broad nuances of their physical appearance like... Musk seemed to be enjoying the controversy, He took to X and said, "Grok is the most fun AI in the world!" Not only Musk, but many users also on X are happy with... Subscribe to the Benzinga Tech Trends newsletter to get all the latest tech developments delivered to your inbox.

Why It Matters: The controversy surrounding Grok's image generation tool comes amid a broader debate about the ethical use of AI. In particular, image-generation tools have become a minefield for tech companies like OpenAI, Alphabet Inc.'s Google, and Microsoft. This is because of their potential for spreading misinformation and offensive content. Earlier this year, AI-generated pornographic images of Taylor Swift spread widely and unchecked across X. Google Gemini also faced major criticism for inaccurately representing historical figures. Earlier this year, in response to the surge in deepfake AI-generated pornographic content, lawmakers introduced a bill mandating social media companies to remove such images.

In May this year, TikTok, owned by ByteDance Ltd., announced plans to automatically label AI-generated content to increase transparency and combat disinformation. Check out more of Benzinga's Consumer Tech coverage by following this link. Read Next: 'Made By Google' Event Marred By Absence Of 'Demo Spirits' -- Gemini Fails Twice During Live Session: Pixel 9 Launch Details Here Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of... Photo courtesy: xAI Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs Grok or Gross? Elon Musk's new AI photo tool generates deepfakes of Taylor Swift, Kamala Harris

X.AI Corp., doing business as xAI, is an American company working in the area of artificial intelligence (AI), social media and technology.[10] Founded by Elon Musk in 2023, the company's flagship products are the... xAI was founded on March 9, 2023, by Musk.[11][12] For Chief Engineer, he recruited Igor Babuschkin, formerly associated with Google's DeepMind unit.[13] Musk officially announced the formation of xAI on July 12, 2023.[14] As of July 2023, xAI was headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area.[15] It was initially incorporated in Nevada as a public-benefit corporation with the stated general purpose of "creat[ing] a material positive impact... In November 2023, Musk stated that "X Corp investors will own 25% of xAI".[19] In December 2023, in a U.S. Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) filing, xAI revealed that it had raised US$134.7 million in outside funding out of a total of up to $1 billion.[20][21] After the earlier raise, Musk stated in December 2023... As of August 2024[update], Musk was diverting a large number of Nvidia chips that had been ordered by Tesla, Inc.

to X and xAI.[27] On December 23, 2024, xAI raised an additional $6 billion in a private funding round supported by Fidelity, BlackRock, Sequoia Capital, among others, making its total funding to date over... The deal, an all-stock transaction, valued X at $33 billion, with a full valuation of $45 billion when factoring in $12 billion in debt. Meanwhile, xAI itself was valued at $80 billion. Both companies were combined into a single entity called X.AI Holdings Corp.[31][32][33] Nature Human Behaviour (2025)Cite this article Online interactions with artificial intelligence (AI) characters pose serious risks to humans who begin to trust them.

Currently, there is a low barrier to access AI characters, and regulations fail to adequately protect users online. We discuss the specific risks of AI characters, the regulatory framework and potential avenues for mitigating harm. This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription AI Chatbots Are Shockingly Good at Political Persuasion

X S Chatbot Can Now Generate Ai Images A Lack Of Guardrails Raises

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