'Dehumanised': Princess of Wales targeted in AI deepfake controversy

The Princess of Wales is one of several celebrities to have fake nude or partially-nude photos generated of them by Grok, X's in-app AI assistant, the BBC has reported.

The artificial intelligence tool has been embroiled in controversy since its release in 2023, with a number of users reporting false or misleading information provided in response to queries.

Now the UK's regulatory authority for communications industries, Ofcom, has reportedly made "urgent contact" with X CEO Elon Musk, following claims the tool has been used to generate a number of naked images of Kate.

According to The Guardian, UK technology minister Liz Kendall encouraged an urgent response to the matter, instructing Ofcom to "take any enforcement action it deemed necessary."

"Make no mistake, the UK will not tolerate the endless proliferation of disgusting and abusive material online.

"We must all come together to stamp it out," she said in a statement.

In a shocking report conducted by the BBC, they detailed seeing "several examples" on X of users prompting Grok to alter images of female celebrities, resulting in scantily clad and sexually explicit content being shared without their consent.

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Catherine was the subject of such requests, as well as journalist Samantha Smith.

Speaking to the BBC, Smith said she felt "dehumanised and violated" by the incident.

"While it wasn't me that was in states of undress, it looked like me and it felt like me, and it felt as violating as if someone had actually posted a nude or a bikini picture of me," she said.

Fourteen-year-old Stranger Things star Nell Fisher was also targeted, with users reportedly instructing the chatbot to create bikini-clad photos of the underage actress.

Previously, Musk responded to similar claims regarding inappropriate use of X's AI feature, saying, "Anyone using Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content."

Kate has previously been outspoken on the topic of internet safety, particularly for younger users.

In an essay co-authored by the Princess of Wales and Harvard professor Robert Waldinger titled The Power of Human Connection in a Distracted Worldshe asserted that technology was "fuelling an epidemic of disconnection."

"While new technology has many benefits, we must also acknowledge that it plays a complex and often troubling role in this," she said.

Buckingham palace is yet to release an official statement regarding the AI-generated images.

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