Artificial intelligence is often described as a breakthrough technology with enormous potential. In many cases, that promise is real. Innovation can improve lives, expand economic opportunity and help us address challenges that once seemed impossible to solve. But as we discuss the opportunities AI presents, we must also be honest about the risks that accompany it.
One system drawing increasing scrutiny is Grok, an artificial intelligence tool embedded within the social media platform X. Unlike traditional internet platforms that primarily host content created by their users, Grok generates images in response to prompts. Recent reporting suggests that the system has been used to create sexually explicit images of real people without their consent. Most troubling of all, this includes images involving minors.
As an organization that has been focused on protecting kids online from digital threats, this issue is of great concerns to us.Â
Our concerns – especially when it comes to protecting minors online – intersect with a growing national problem: AI-generated deepfake pornography. Just last month, UNICEF raised alarms about the increasing misuse of artificial intelligence to fabricate explicit images using ordinary photos of real people. Across the country, law enforcement and child protection groups are reporting more cases where these tools are used to create manipulated images of teenagers and children. These images can then spread rapidly through social media, group chats and messaging platforms before victims or their families even know they exist.
The consequences can be devastating. Students have faced harassment after manipulated images circulated among their classmates. Some victims have been targeted by sextortion schemes. Families often find themselves racing to remove content that can quickly reappear elsewhere online.
What makes systems like Grok particularly concerning is how easily this material can be created. When a generative AI tool can produce explicit imagery in seconds and distribute it through platforms used by millions of people, the number of potential victims increases dramatically. Behind every image is a real person whose likeness has been exploited—often in ways that can follow them for years.
Here in Tennessee, protecting children has always been a priority. Our state has taken strong action against trafficking, sextortion and online exploitation, and our laws already criminalize the creation, distribution and possession of sexualized material involving minors.Â
But when artificial intelligence tools can generate explicit images using the likeness of real people, policymakers must ensure our laws clearly address these new forms of abuse.
State leaders should carefully examine how generative AI systems like Grok operate on platforms widely used by young people. Clear safeguards must be in place when these technologies are deployed. At the same time, companies developing these systems must recognize that safety cannot be treated as an afterthought. If a platform is capable of generating explicit content involving real people, developers have a responsibility to implement meaningful protections.
Tennessee has long taken pride in protecting its communities while still welcoming innovation and new technology. As artificial intelligence continues to evolve, that balance should remain our guiding principle.
Innovation should move forward—but never at the expense of our children.
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Aaron Gulbransen serves as CEO of The Tennessee Conservatives Coalition.Â
