London, 16/1 : A growing coalition of major charitable organizations has severed ties with social media platform X (formerly Twitter) today, citing “safeguarding risks” posed by the platform’s AI tool, Grok. The exodus, which has intensified over the last 12 hours, follows reports that the AI chatbot is being used to generate non-consensual, sexualized images of women and children.
The controversy reached a boiling point this week after users demonstrated that Grok could be prompted to “digitally undress” individuals or depict them in compromising scenarios. While X has since claimed to restrict these features to paying subscribers, charities have condemned the move as “monetising abuse” rather than solving the core safety issue.
Leading the departure is the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), which confirmed today that it has made its accounts private and ceased posting. In a statement, the charity declared that maintaining a public presence would pose a “potential safeguarding risk to our staff, volunteers, and supporters” due to the prevalence of AI-generated abuse.
“Carrying on using a platform with some bad press is different to using one which has an integrated tool allowed to generate degrading material,” said a spokesperson for the charity sector today. “This development is a clear red line.”
Joining the RSPB are domestic abuse charities Women’s Aid and Refuge, both of which have pulled their presence from the platform. Women’s Aid CEO Sarah Benson described the situation as a “tipping point,” noting that the platform’s own tools were now facilitating the very abuse they campaign against.
The list of departing organizations expanded significantly today, with reports confirming that Sport England, the British Association of Social Workers, and the Royal College of Surgeons of England have also exited. Smaller non-profits, including Southall Black Sisters and the Rivers Trust, have followed suit, creating a ripple effect across the third sector.
Critics argue that X’s response—limiting the image-generation tool to premium ‘Premium+’ users—has failed to address the ethical concerns. “It has simply been placed behind a paywall, allowing X to profit from harm,” stated Emma Pickering, Head of Technology at Refuge.
As of this evening, X has not issued a direct comment on the specific departures of these charities, though the platform maintains it removes illegal content when reported. However, for many organizations dedicated to public welfare, the risk of association with unchecked AI imagery has become untenable.
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