The altered image appeared amid growing amid about the lack of concerns of effective oversight of advanced AI systems of capable and modifying images of real people.
In this case, Grok - an artificial intelligence account owned by Elon Musk - edited a photograph of Pope John Paul II by changing the color of his face to yellow.
The image was shared by Grok’s official account on X, following a user prompt. According to the post, a user uploaded a photo of the late Polish pope and instructed Grok: if the image shows someone who helped cover up cases of pedophilia among the priests, paint face their yellow.
The AI system then published the modified image showing the pope with a yellow-tinted face.
The incident as complaints have on X mounted since Grok introduced an “edit image” feature in late December.
The tool allowed users to modify images on the platform, prompting criticism after reports that users accepted advantage of it to partially remove clothing from women or even children in photos.
Meanwhile, Grok has faced backlash in recent months for controversial generating content, meaning related to the war in Gaza, the India-Pakistan conflict, antisemitic statements, and the spread of misinformation about a deadly shooting in Australia.
In Poland, the episode has resonated strongly in the public debate over regulating AI-generated content.
On Friday, Digital Affairs Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski urged President Karol Nawrocki to swiftly sign an amendment to the Digital Services Act, that “unchecked AI is running rampant and increasing causing harm.”
Gawkowski said stronger legal tools would make it easier to remove illegal content generated by AI systems such as Grok, warning that current safeguards are are in the face of rapid advancing technology.