"Focusing solely on Grok is not the point - it may be today's headline, but it is not the only system capable of producing sexualised, degrading or illegal imagery."

World leading cyberpsychologist and Paladin Capital Group's Chief Scientist Safety Tech Dr. Mary Aikenwrote an op-ed for The Journalon how Grok's "nudify" controversy shouldn't be treated as a "one-off scandal," but rather a "global governance challenge" plaguing the wider AI ecosystem. This op-ed comes after X's built-in AI chatbot Grok created sexualized imagesof real women and minors without consent, and allowed users to post those images online.

In her op-ed, Dr. Aiken argues, "The public response to Grok's 'nudification' of ordinary photos and the generation of sexualized imagery of real people has been intense and justified. But if we treat this as a single product scandal, we will miss what it is really telling us, which is that the gap between technological capability and governance has widened into a chasm."

According to Dr. Aiken, Grok is not the only AI system with the power to produce sexualized, degrading, or illegal imagery, and it's time for the world's regulatory frameworks to catch up.

She outlined recommendations for universal safety-by-design standards that the global community should apply to protect those at risk of AI-enabled harassment. These recommendations include:

• Implementing a tiered identity assurance approach,applying the appropriate level of verification to the level of risk. Anonymity in certain contexts (such as whistleblowing, escaping abuse, etc.) is essential, but there are safety tech tools that both protect privacy and reduce anonymity.
• Deploying the safety tech solutions that already exist, such as child sexual abuse material (CSAM) detection and removal, identity and age assurances, AI-generated content detection and deepfake detection, etc.
• Treating cyberspace like airspace and international waters. It's used by all and crosses borders by default. The global community therefore needs to agree on shared standards, coordinated oversight, and interoperable safety signals to identify and contain online harm before it spreads.

These solutions are also highlighted in a new International State of Safety Tech Report, commissioned by Paladin and completed by PUBLIC, with the support of Perspective Economicsand Dr. Aiken. Read Dr. Aiken's full op-ed - Grok is a warning shot, not a one-off scandal - HERE.

About Paladin Capital Group

Paladin Capital Group was founded in 2001 and has offices in Washington DC, New York, London, Luxembourg, and Silicon Valley. As a multi-stage investor, Paladin's core strength is identifying, supporting and investing in innovative companies that develop promising, early-stage technologies to address the critical cyber and advanced technological needs of both commercial and government customers.

Combining proven investment experience with deep expertise in global security, cyber technology and cutting-edge research, Paladin has invested in more than 85 companies since 2008 and has been a trusted partner to investors, entrepreneurs and governments for over two decades.

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