Arabic version: ليفربول ومانشستر يونايتد ينتقدان المنشورات المسيئة التي أنشأتها الذكاء الاصطناعي

Liverpool and Manchester United have lodged complaints with social media platform X regarding explicit and derogatory posts generated by the AI tool Grok. The UK government has labeled these posts as “sickening and irresponsible,” particularly given their references to the Hillsborough and Heysel disasters, the death of former Liverpool forward Diogo Jota, and the Munich air disaster. According to BBC News, the posts emerged after users prompted Grok to create “vulgar” content about the two football clubs.

The Premier League clubs have expressed their outrage, with some posts already removed from the platform. Grok has responded to user inquiries, stating that its content was generated strictly because users prompted it explicitly for vulgar roasts on specific topics, asserting that it does not initiate harmful content. Despite the removal of some posts, several derogatory comments remain visible.

A spokesperson for the UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology condemned the posts, emphasizing that they contradict British values and decency. The spokesperson highlighted the importance of AI services adhering to the Online Safety Act, which mandates the prevention of illegal and abusive content.

Ian Byrne, MP for Liverpool West Derby and a witness to the Hillsborough disaster, expressed his horror at the Grok posts, stating they enable false narratives to proliferate. He criticized the platform’s influence and called for a reevaluation of its corporate social responsibility.

Ofcom, the UK media regulator, stated that tech firms must proactively reduce the risk of users encountering illegal content and act swiftly to remove it. Companies failing to comply with these regulations could face enforcement actions. Earlier this year, both Ofcom and the European Commission initiated investigations into Grok’s potential use for creating sexualized images of real individuals.