The Rise of Generative Artificial Intelligence
The rise of language models has been perhaps the most consumer facing side of the AI revolution. You probably know about Open AI’s trend setting AI model ChatGPT, which took the world by storm and opened up the conversation on the ethical implications of AI usage across multiple fields.
Other generative AI language models have since then emerged to shape the conversation. Google's primary AI offering, Bard, which later became Gemini is one of them. Grok AI, another cutting edge generative artificial intelligence language model, is the focus of this article.
What is Grok AI
Grok AI is a chatbot developed by xAI, the artificial intelligence arm of Elon Musk’s social media empire, X (formerly known as Twitter). X rolled out the chatbot in November 2023, advertising it as not being “woke” and having a sense of humor.
According to the developers, aside from the ability to hold conversations, generate summaries, images, and process visual elements, the most unique feature of Grok AI is its direct access to X. A second release was announced on August 13, 2024, this time the improved model was called Grok-2.
Privacy Concerns
As with any advanced technology, especially within the AI revolution, this model has sparked excitement and curiosity amongst subscribers of X Premium, but many have also raised concerns about Grok AI impact on data security.
In July, Elon Musk was queried by European regulators after news surfaced that users' consent was not sought before their post was used to train Grok. Also, this is not limited to just users who are subscribed to X Premium and use Grok, but basically everyone on the X platform.
The Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) also announced two weeks ago that it had suspended court proceedings against X after the social media company agreed to discontinue the collection and use of EU users personal data to train its artificial intelligence (AI). The DPC had filed an emergency request before the Irish High Court about the changes because they believed privacy rights of Irish citizens were being violated.
On the Grok Help Center page, it describes how xAI “may utilize your X posts as well as your user interactions, inputs and results with Grok for training and fine-tuning purposes.” This is particularly concerning for data privacy crusaders, especially since Grok processes an awfully huge amount of private data that could potentially include sensitive information such as personal details, financial records, and browsing history.
According to Marijus Briedis, who is the chief technology officer at NordVPN, “Grok’s training strategy carries significant privacy implications”, adding that there are other concerns “given the AI’s capability to generate images and content with minimal moderation.”
However, the company denies these accusations. They argue that whilst it is true Grok-1 was trained using publicly available data up to Q3 2023, however, the model was pre-trained on X data, including public X posts.
That said, Angus Allan, senior product manager at CreateFuture, states that The EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is upfront and strict about obtaining consent to use personal data, arguing that xAI may have ignored this for Grok-2 by automatically opting-in posts, interactions, results and inputs of all x users without their consent.
While Grok AI's developers have implemented safeguards to protect user data, there is always a risk of breaches or unauthorized access. It's essential to stay informed about the latest developments in AI security and take steps to protect your personal information.
The Future of Privacy in the Age of AI
As the AI revolution continues to sweep across the world, the issue of privacy will keep taking center stage. It's important to find a balance between innovation and security, to build a future where technology serves human needs without infringing on our privacy.