Epic Video games CEO Tim Sweeney argues banning Twitter over its means to AI-generate pornographic pictures of minors is simply 'gatekeepers' making an attempt to 'censor all of their political opponents'
As reported by Eurogamer, Epic Video games CEO Tim Sweeney took to X (previously Twitter) to criticize an try by US lawmakers to ban the social media app and its accompanying generative AI software, Grok. The transfer got here after customers found that Elon Musk’s Grok has the power to take images of actual folks, together with minors, and produce pictures of them undressed or in in any other case sexually compromising positions, flooding the location with such content material.
“Cause #42 for open platforms: to close down each politician’s incessant calls for to all gatekeepers to censor all of their political opponents,” Sweeney wrote in a primary tweet responding to MacRumors’ report of US politicians requesting that Apple and Google take away X and Grok from their app shops.
All main AIs have documented cases of going off the rails; all main AI firms make their greatest efforts to fight this; none are good. Politicians demanding gatekeepers selectively crush the one which’s their political opponent’s firm is primary crony capitalism.January 9, 2026
“All main AIs have documented cases of going off the rails,” Sweeney continued in a comply with up tweet. “All main AI firms make their greatest efforts to fight this; none are good. Politicians demanding gatekeepers selectively crush the one which’s their political opponent’s firm is primary crony capitalism.”
“AI going off ‘guardrails’ just isn’t the identical as actively excusing content material for pedophiles,” wrote Remap and former Waypoint editor, Patrick Klepek, in response. “Your priorities as somebody accountable for an organization that makes a online game catering to younger individuals are utterly off.”
404 Media’s report from January 5 at the start of this saga affords illustrative examples of Grok’s newly-discovered capabilities, like influencers undressed, made to seem pregnant, or proven breastfeeding a baby. There are additionally in depth reviews of customers producing such materials from pictures of minors.
The Rape, Abuse, & Incest Nationwide Community (RAINN) defines baby sexual abuse materials (CSAM) as “proof of kid sexual abuse” that “consists of each actual and artificial content material, reminiscent of pictures created with synthetic intelligence instruments.” One in every of RAINN’s examples of CSAM is “any content material that sexualizes or exploits a baby for the viewer’s profit.”
Because the controversy got here to mild, the one change X has made has been transferring Grok’s means to generate pictures in tweet replies behind a paywall—X now seems to be extra straight profiting off of Grok’s means to generate CSAM than it was within the first place.
That is all notably galling within the face of the particular politically-motivated censorship Sweeney has overseen on the platform that helps make him a billionaire. Again in December, the Epic Video games Retailer adopted Steam’s lead in banning the artwork recreation, Horses, for hazy causes, an outgrowth of the strain positioned on fee processing firms by conservative activist teams to censor transgressive artwork and authorized pornography on the web.
Given the chance, Sweeney seems desperate to defend an unprecedented on-line sexual humiliation machine, calling for open platforms and free speech whereas presiding over censorship on his personal, closed platform. Sweeney’s follow-up might have the beginnings of an answer, although: “All main AIs have documented cases of going off the rails.” If that is what we will anticipate from such instruments, perhaps they need to all be banned.