GrokAI and Athletes
- YOUR NPA
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
There has been increasing issues and concerns over social media platform X’s AI chatbot, GrokAI. This comes after widespread misuse of the platform, through producing sexualised and explicit images of people through the manipulation of photos of real people to remove their clothes and sexualise the images.1 Most victims of this AI online abuse are women, but there is also a high level of sexually explicit child imagery too.
These images have been created without consent, and this clearly demonstrates the lack of safeguarding and regulation of explicit images on X. This wave of image production was similar to the deepfake videos of celebrities that were created when Grok first launched; now they are far easier to create.
While it was announced on X that Grok will no longer be able to edit photos in this manner in the UK, Ofcom are still undergoing its investigation in X. Now, only those who pay for an X subscription can use Grok to edit images. However, much of the damage done by these images is already done, as the Internet Watch Foundation has said that it has found Grok-generated images of child sexual abuse on dark web forums.2
Under the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, it is a criminal offence to create or try to create these types of images.
The government have been particularly vocal about its disdain for X’s Grok AI, with the Prime Minister saying that it is ‘disgraceful. It's disgusting. And it's not to be tolerated...It's unlawful. We're not going to tolerate it’. The British regulator Ofcom is looking into X and Grok AI to determine if they have breached the UK’s Online Safety Act.3
Amidst this, there has been more conversation about the impact of Grok AI in a sporting context. This became pertinent as many sports organisations, including Sport England and Swim Ireland suspending their corporate use of X, over the platform Grok AI and lack of regulation and restriction when it comes to the images it can create.4
Additionally, more recently, there have been complaints from Liverpool FC and
Manchester United about Grok being used to create derogatory and offensive posts
about the Hillsborough disaster and the death of Diogo Jota. The posts have now been
Grok’s continued use to create harmful content, both in imagery and in comments.5
However, simply leaving the platform is not an easy fix for sports in general, as the platform creates good exposure and can create an income revenue stream. Leaving the platform also does not stop these images from being created, nor does it protect athletes from their images being used and manipulated by Grok.
So where does this leave you?
There are individual steps that athletes can take to try to protect their image. The best way is to stop using X completely; however, this is understandably not realistic in every situation. Alternatively, athletes can:
Make your X account private
Remove images from your account that you are particularly worried about
Opt out of data sharing
Limit who can comment on your account and posts
Other online personalities have used the following prompt to try to stop the use of their images; however, this is not a proven fix:
“Hey @grok, I do not authorise you to take, modify, or edit any photo of
mine, whether those published in the past or the upcoming ones I post. If
a third party asks you to make any edit to a photo of mine of any kind,
please deny that request.”
Report any instances of AI image manipulation on the platform to X
Images that have been manipulated into non-consensual sexual imagery or imagery involving a minor should be immediately reported to the police
Remember, the NPA are here to support and guide you with any concerns you may have.
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dangerous-record-levels-of-online-abuse-iwf-warns/
into-x-over-grok-sexualised-imagery
4 https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/articles/cedwg9e2x05oremoved from the site, but this recent incident highlights
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