A.I. Company Releases Sexually-Explicit Chatbot Rated Ages 12+

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Photo Credit: The Daily Citizen.

A sexually-explicit virtual “girlfriend” is now accessible on an AI app rated ages 12 and up.

The National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) reports that last week xAI chatbot Grok unveiled new animated avatars that users can chat with on its app.

Grok is an artificial intelligence chatbot tied to social media platform X (formerly Twitter). Like most AI chatbots, users can chat with Grok and ask it questions. Grok’s AI iPhone app offers avatars that can speak with the user.

NCOSE writes about these new avatars, saying:

One is a 3D red panda that can switch into a “Bad Rudy” mode, where it starts insulting you and joking about committing crimes together. The other is an anime-style goth girl named Ani, dressed in a short black dress and fishnets. The avatars are designed like a game—you unlock new features and interactions the more you chat with them and move up levels.  …

While Ani is immediately sensual, her conversations become progressively more sexually explicit, including disrobing to lingerie. 

The Daily Citizen reports that Grok does not verify users’ ages, and the app is rated appropriate for ages 12 and up — meaning it’s likely children will encounter “Ani.”

Time reports the chatbot is accessible even when the app is in “kids mode.”

Unfortunately, social media platforms do not have a good track record when it comes to protecting children from harmful content.

Two years ago Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin’s office filed lawsuits against social media giant TikTok alleging TikTok’s owners violated Arkansas’ Deceptive Trade Practices Act by labeling the app as being appropriate for ages 13 and up when in reality TikTok should be rated 17+.

The A.G.’s legal team has argued TikTok promotes objectionable content to children on its app, including:

  • Intense profanity and obscenity
  • Sexual content, nudity, and suggestive themes
  • Violence
  • Alcohol, tobacco, and drugs

The lawsuit — which is still proceeding in court — alleges much of this harmful content is available even when teens are using TikTok’s content filtering.

At this point, it isn’t clear if a court would rule the Grok app should be rated 17+.

Arkansas has also enacted measures over the years to protect children from harmful content online — including social media content.

Our friends at the Daily Citizen said it very well:

When it comes to keeping children safe online, parents have their work cut out for them. Companies like xAI shouldn’t compound the problem by adding sexualized A.I. features to an app children use. But, unfortunately, there’s nothing stopping them from doing so.

No company is going to work harder than you to protect your kids. The best solution is to play it safe — keep your kids well away from A.I. chatbots and other dangerous internet traps.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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Arkansas A.G. to Host Free Social Media Summit in October

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Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin will host a free social media summit in October.

In an announcement on Facebook, Attorney General Griffin said the summit will look at social media addiction as well as dangers from scams and foreign adversaries such as China.

Around the country, state legislators have recognized that social media can be hazardous for teens. These platforms rely on specialized algorithms to suggest content to users. As users look at social media content, the algorithms make a point to recommend similar material in the future — a process sometimes called “rabbit holing.”

If users view inappropriate or harmful material on social media, the algorithm will suggest similar content in the future. As a result, social media platforms like TikTok often serve teens what some have called a steady “diet of darkness.”

In 2023 the Arkansas Attorney General’s office filed two lawsuits against Chinese-based company ByteDance — the corporation that owns TikTok — and one lawsuit against Meta — the company that owns Facebook and Instagram.

The lawsuits highlight how the platforms jeopardize users’ personal data and “exploit human psychology and foster addiction to maximize users’ screen time.”

As we have said for years, social media platforms are more than just websites or phone apps. These are multimillion-dollar businesses. The people who own and profit from these companies have a responsibility to protect their users.

Family Council is not aware of any attorney general in America who is doing more to hold social media giants accountable than Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin. Registration details about the A.G.’s social media summit are available here.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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A.G. Griffin’s Team Fires Back in Court Over Kids’ Online Safety

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Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin’s office is still battling tech giants in federal court over a law the legislature passed in 2023 to protect children on social media.

Around the country, state legislators have recognized that social media can be hazardous for teens. These platforms rely on specialized algorithms to suggest content to users. As users look at social media content, the algorithms make a point to recommend similar material in the future — a process sometimes called “rabbit holing.”

If users view inappropriate or harmful material on social media, the algorithm will suggest similar content in the future. As a result, social media platforms like TikTok often serve teens what some have called a steady “diet of darkness.”

That’s why Arkansas lawmakers have taken steps to protect kids online. The 2023 Social Media Safety Act by Sen. Tyler Dees (R – Siloam Springs) and Rep. Jon Eubanks (R – Paris) is a good law that requires major social media companies to make sure minors don’t access social media platforms without parental consent. A social media company that violated the law could be held liable.

The law received strong support at the legislature, but tech giants — such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok — sued to strike down the Social Media Safety Act as unconstitutional.

In 2023, U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks in Fayetteville issued an order stopping the State from enforcing the law. Earlier this year, Judge Brooks delivered a final decision blocking all of the Social Media Safety Act.

However, in April Attorney General Griffin’s team filed a motion to alter Judge Brooks’ bad ruling.

The A.G. argues that Judge Brooks should not have blocked all of the law — just the provisions that the tech giants had standing to challenge.

The A.G.’s team highlighted a section of the law that protects people’s private data online as one example of a provision that the court did not have the authority to block.

In response, the tech giants suing to block the law filed a motion opposing A.G. Griffin’s request to change the judge’s ruling.

Last week Attorney General Griffin’s team fired back in court, arguing the 2023 ruling was too broad.

While the legal tug-of-war continues at the federal court in Arkansas, the Attorney General’s team also has appealed to the higher court at the Eighth Circuit to overturn Judge Brooks’ decision.

As we have said for years, social media platforms are more than just websites or phone apps. These are multimillion-dollar businesses owned and operated by adults. The people who own and profit from these companies have a responsibility to protect children on their platforms. At the very least, they should not be able to register children as users and let those children post photos and videos on their platforms without parental consent.

Family Council is not aware of any attorney general in America who is doing more to hold social media companies accountable and protect children online than Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin. We appreciate his willingness to stand against these tech giants, and we are confident our federal courts ultimately will let Arkansas protect children on social media.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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