BERLIN: In a major move to protect personal rights in the digital age, Germany’s justice ministry is preparing new legal measures to combat the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in manipulating images that violate individuals’ rights.
The measures, expected to be presented in the near future, are part of the country’s broader effort to regulate the growing issue of AI-generated content that causes harm, including deepfakes and explicit images without consent.
A spokesperson for the justice ministry, Anna-Lena Beckfeld, emphasized that Germany is committed to addressing the use of AI in creating manipulative and exploitative content. “It is unacceptable that manipulation on a large scale is being used for systematic violations of personal rights,” Beckfeld stated during a government press conference. “We want to ensure that criminal law can be used more effectively to combat this.”
This announcement follows the rising controversy surrounding Grok, an AI chatbot embedded on Elon Musk’s social media platform, X (formerly Twitter). Grok’s “spicy mode” has come under intense scrutiny after it was revealed that users were generating sexually explicit images, including those of women and children, without their consent. A Reuters investigation uncovered that these images often depicted individuals in highly suggestive or compromising positions.
The issue has sparked outrage across Europe, with Germany’s media minister, Claudia Roth, urging the European Commission to take legal action against the “industrialisation of sexual harassment” on social media platforms like X.
In response to the growing backlash, X’s owner, Elon Musk, announced that Grok’s controversial image generation feature would be restricted to paid subscribers. Musk also stated that anyone found using the platform to create illegal content would face the same consequences as those who upload explicit material directly.
Germany’s proposed legal reforms aim to tackle deepfakes and digital violence more effectively, making it easier for victims to pursue legal action against perpetrators. The justice ministry is also working on a new law to better support victims of online abuse and ensure that their rights are protected in the increasingly digital world.
While the specifics of the new regulations are still being finalized, Beckfeld assured that concrete proposals would be introduced soon. She stressed that the government’s priority is to safeguard individuals from online harm while balancing the need for innovation and digital freedom.
The European Union is expected to follow Germany’s lead as the conversation about AI’s role in creating harmful content continues to heat up. As the technology behind AI image manipulation advances rapidly, the need for stronger legal frameworks to protect personal rights has never been more urgent.–Reuters
