Grok’s Record of Sexual Exploitation and Ongoing International Investigations Should Disqualify It from Federal or Classified Use
WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Monday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that the Pentagon will begin using Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok, part of the Trump administration’s broader effort to expand Grok’s use inside the federal government.
In recent weeks, Grok has generated nonconsensual, highly sexualized images of women and children, triggering international outrage and regulatory action. Multiple countries have barred or restricted Grok’s use, while regulators in several jurisdictions, including the United Kingdom, have opened investigations into whether the system violates online safety and child protection laws.
In response, J.B. Branch, Big Tech Accountability Advocate at Public Citizen, released the following statement:
“Allowing an AI system with Grok’s track record of repeatedly generating nonconsensual sexualized images of women and children to access classified military or sensitive government data raises profound national security, civil rights, and public safety concerns.
“Public Citizen has repeatedly warned that Grok lacks basic safeguards to prevent sexual exploitation, extremist amplification, and misuse.
“Deploying Grok across other areas of the federal government is worrying enough, but choosing to use it at the Pentagon is a national security disgrace. If an AI system cannot meet basic safety and integrity standards, expanding its reach to include classified data puts the American public and our nation’s safety at risk.”
Earlier this year, Public Citizen, alongside more than 30 civil rights, consumer protection, and technology accountability organizations, sent two letters urging the White House Office of Management and Budget, the Federal Trade Commission, and members of Congress to immediately halt Grok’s use across the federal government. Those letters detailed Grok’s pattern of safety failures, including the amplification of harmful content, lack of transparency, and inability to meet minimum standards for deployment in sensitive government contexts. There is an urgent need for the Trump administration to suspend Grok’s federal use and conduct a full review.