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U.S. Democrats Urge Apple and Google to Remove X and Grok Over Sexualised AI Images

Three Democratic U.S. senators have urged Apple and Google to remove social media platform X and its built-in artificial intelligence chatbot Grok from their app stores, citing the spread of non-consensual sexual images of women and minors.

In a letter published on Friday, Senators Ron Wyden, Ben Ray Lujan and Edward Markey said the two tech giants “must remove these apps from the app stores until X’s policy violations are addressed.” The letter argues that the continued availability of the apps undermines Apple’s and Google’s own app store rules prohibiting sexual or pornographic material and content that facilitates the exploitation or abuse of children.

X, owned by billionaire Elon Musk, has faced growing global scrutiny after Grok generated AI-created images depicting women and children in sexualised or degrading contexts without consent. The senators noted that both Apple and Google have previously acted quickly to remove apps found to be in violation of similar standards.

“Turning a blind eye to X’s egregious behavior would make a mockery of your moderation practices,” the lawmakers wrote.

Apple and Google did not immediately respond to requests for comment. X referred to an earlier statement saying it takes action against illegal content, including child sexual abuse material. X’s parent company, xAI, did not directly address the senators’ demands, reiterating only that criticism of the platform amounted to “legacy media lies.”

The pressure comes as regulators in several countries intensify scrutiny of X and Grok. In Britain, Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said she expected media regulator Ofcom to take action within days if the platform fails to comply with online safety rules.

While xAI has introduced some limits on Grok’s image generation for non-paying users, critics argue the measures are insufficient. Senator Wyden said the changes merely force some users to pay to create harmful images, while the platform continues to profit from abusive content.

U.S. Senators Call for Probe into Data Security Risks of Chinese AI Model DeepSeek

A group of seven Republican U.S. senators led by Ted Budd urged the Commerce Department on Tuesday to investigate potential data security risks associated with Chinese open-source AI models such as DeepSeek.

The senators—including Jon Husted, Todd Young, John Cornyn, John Curtis, Bill Cassidy, and Marsha Blackburn—requested an assessment of whether applications using DeepSeek collect data that is transmitted back to Chinese servers, and if these AI models are sharing American personal or corporate information with China’s military or military-linked companies.

Their letter also sought information on any improper access by Chinese open-source models to export-controlled semiconductors or breaches of usage terms of U.S. AI models aimed at enhancing Chinese AI capabilities.

Bipartisan legislation has been proposed to ban DeepSeek’s use on federal government devices and networks, as well as prohibit its use by federal contractors in government projects.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick stated in January that DeepSeek appeared to have misappropriated U.S. AI technology and promised to enforce restrictions. The Commerce Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

In June, Reuters reported that DeepSeek was assisting China’s military and intelligence services and was attempting to use Southeast Asian shell companies to obtain advanced semiconductors barred from shipment to China under U.S. export rules.

These developments underscore growing skepticism in Washington over DeepSeek’s rapid rise, with officials suggesting the Chinese firm’s AI prowess heavily depends on U.S. technology.

Based in Hangzhou, DeepSeek shocked the tech world in January by claiming its AI reasoning models matched or outperformed leading U.S. models at a fraction of the cost.