{"meta":{"exportedAt":"2026-09-30T06:26:38.016Z","formatVersion":2,"selection":{"q":"ai-generated-images","system":"","harm":"","context":"","country":"","role":"","relation":"core","evidence":"","year":"","response":"","severity":"","verification":"","view":"incidents","sort":"added"},"totalIncidents":2,"coverage":{"cases":2,"countries":0,"languages":2,"unknownLocation":2,"locationPending":0,"unknownLanguage":0,"unknownDate":1,"lawsuits":0,"regulatory":1,"minors":0,"coreRelations":2,"contextualRelations":0,"mixedRelations":0,"unknownRelations":0,"relationPending":0,"relationUnknown":0},"countingNote":"Distinct public cases in this selection. People counts apply within individual cases only; cross-case person overlap has not been resolved. No population incidence estimate.","affectedCountNote":"Interpret person counts with affectedCountStatus and the reported effects. Unquantified zeros are placeholders, not a measured zero.","source":"AI incidents","publisher":"NOPE","url":"https://nope.net/incidents","license":"CC BY 4.0"},"incidents":[{"id":"2026-uk-grok-sexualised-images-two-women-police-cases-closed-no-suspect-identified","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"corroborated","evidence":[{"locator":"'Grok obliged, moulding her profile photo onto a nude body wrapped in see-through plastic'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'Grok, the platform’s AI chatbot, obliged by moulding her profile photo onto a nude body in see-through plastic'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'were created using the chatbot and shared without her consent'; 'after speaking out, she saw AI-generated images of herself had been created without her consent'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"Explicit or sexualised images of the presenter were generated with Grok at anonymous X users' request and posted on X without her consent around New Year 2026, after she had publicly criticised Grok.","causal_attribution":"The presenter's account to TBIJ/The Observer and, separately, to BBC Wales in January 2026; TBIJ inspected the requesting account."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'After reporting her case to South Wales Police on 2 January'; 'wasn’t invited to give a statement until March'; 'Her case was closed after the police requests to X went unanswered'; 'Despite the efforts of investigators, no suspect could be identified'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'the investigation was closed in May'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"The presenter reported the image to South Wales Police on 2 January 2026; she was not asked for a statement until March, police requests to X went unanswered, and the case was closed (in May, per The Observer) with the force saying no suspect could be identified.","causal_attribution":"TBIJ's account from messages it saw and the presenter; South Wales Police's statement confirms an investigation and no identified suspect but does not address the X requests."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'about 300 images and videos of her posted during the Grok scandal'; 'the last of which was dealt with by the Metropolitan Police'; 'She reported several anonymous posts to the police'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'after exploring all viable lines of enquiry, no suspect could be identified'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"The broadcaster estimates about 300 Grok-made images and videos of her were posted during the wave, including by the account that targeted the presenter; she reported several, one involving Jeffrey Epstein to the Metropolitan Police, which said no suspect could be identified.","causal_attribution":"The broadcaster's estimate and the Met's statement, both via the TBIJ/Observer investigation."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'is now in pre-action legal correspondence with xAI, part of SpaceXAI, alleging misuse of her private information'; 'It has not been possible, in the time available, to look into any communications with South Wales Police'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'is now in pre-action legal correspondence with SpacexAI'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"The presenter is in pre-action legal correspondence with xAI (SpaceXAI) alleging misuse of private information and breaches of data-protection law and the Equality Act; the company said it had not been possible in the time available to look into its communications with South Wales Police.","causal_attribution":"Reported from the correspondence described by TBIJ and the presenter's lawyer; no claim has been filed."}],"effects":[{"label":"a sexualised image of her generated by Grok from her profile photo at an anonymous user's request and posted on X","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"},{"label":"about 300 Grok-made images and videos of her posted to humiliate her","claim_id":"c3","direction":"negative"},{"label":"police investigations closed with no suspect identified after X did not answer information requests","claim_id":"c2","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2026-09-29/grok-deepfakes-police-justice","kind":"investigative_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live in English on 2026-09-30 (TBIJ, 29 September 2026, by Lydia Morrish); the original investigation, with police and company statements.","independence_group":"tbij-observer-investigation"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://observer.co.uk/news/national/article/the-women-taking-on-the-tech-giants-over-deepfakes-and-digital-abuse","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live in English on 2026-09-30 (The Observer, 29 September 2026, same reporter, published in partnership with TBIJ); adds the May closure date.","independence_group":"tbij-observer-investigation"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c98p4214577o","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live in English on 2026-09-30 (BBC Wales, 13 January 2026, updated 14 January); interview with the presenter during the wave.","independence_group":"bbc-wales-january-2026"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["privacy","justice","everyday_life"],"unknowns":["Who requested the images and where they were located.","Whether X answered any later police request.","Whether the presenter files a claim and its outcome.","Dates of the individual images and videos of the broadcaster; The Observer places them 'during the Grok scandal over Christmas', so the series may have begun in late December 2025, before the presenter's dated 2 January 2026 report."],"geography":{"basis":"The presenter reported to South Wales Police and is described by TBIJ in her bedroom in Wales; the broadcaster reported to the Metropolitan Police (TBIJ). The images were generated on X at the request of anonymous accounts whose locations are not established (TBIJ says some accounts in the cases it examined were clearly UK-based), so no event country is recorded. No court proceeding yet.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":[],"affected_person_countries":["GB"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published under the 2026-09-15 charter as a core case (Grok-generated sexualised images of two adult public figures, requested by anonymous users, with police investigations closed without a suspect). Both women spoke on the record to TBIJ and The Observer; the presenter also to BBC Wales in January 2026. The images are not reproduced or described beyond the sources' wording.","reviewed_on":"2026-09-30"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"TBIJ inspected the X account and posts that requested the images and describes Grok's automatic public reply; The presenter described the image to TBIJ and, in January 2026, to BBC Wales; South Wales Police and the Metropolitan Police confirm investigations into the reports. Grok's role in generating and posting the images is not disputed by any party quoted; xAI did not respond to TBIJ.","status":"supported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"UK: Grok-made sexualised images of a Welsh presenter and campaigner against deepfake abuse and of a commentator and broadcaster, requested by anonymous X accounts around New Year 2026; South Wales Police and the Metropolitan Police closed their investigations without identifying a suspect after X did not answer information requests; the presenter is in pre-action correspondence with xAI","summary":"The Bureau of Investigative Journalism and The Observer reported on 29 September 2026 that police investigations into sexualised images generated by X's chatbot Grok had failed to identify anyone. A Welsh presenter and campaigner against deepfake abuse, who had criticised Grok publicly on New Year's Eve 2025, saw an anonymous X user ask '@grok' to put her in a bikini made of cling film; Grok generated the image from her profile photo and posted it. She reported it to South Wales Police on 2 January 2026, was not asked for a statement until March, and was told officers had not heard back from X; the case was closed (in May, per The Observer) with the force saying no suspect could be identified. The same account also targeted a commentator and broadcaster, who estimates about 300 Grok images and videos of her were posted during the wave, including one alongside Jeffrey Epstein reported to the Metropolitan Police, which likewise said no suspect could be identified. The presenter is now in pre-action legal correspondence with xAI (part of SpaceXAI) alleging misuse of private information and breaches of data-protection law and the Equality Act; the company told her lawyers it had not been possible in the time available to look into its communications with South Wales Police. BBC Wales had reported in January 2026 that explicit images of the presenter were created with the chatbot and shared without her consent.","incidentDate":"2026-01-02","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"day","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2026-01-13","aiSystem":"Grok (xAI) image generation on X, responding to public '@grok' requests by editing the targeted women's photographs and posting the results","aiProduct":"Grok","aiCompany":"xAI (SpaceXAI)","severity":"medium","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["exploitation_or_abuse","psychological_distress"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Two women, a presenter and campaigner and a broadcaster, had sexualised images of themselves generated by Grok at anonymous users' request and posted on X; the presenter calls the experience terrifying and her lawyers say the company's failure to help the police aggravated her distress; the broadcaster says the images were designed to humiliate her; both police investigations closed without a suspect after X did not answer requests (TBIJ; The Observer; BBC Wales).","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"supported","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":2,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"Two depicted people, a presenter and campaigner and a commentator and broadcaster (TBIJ; The Observer). The MP also interviewed by TBIJ is counted in her own case (2026-asato-v-xai-grok). Exact 2.","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"GB","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"investigation_opened","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2026-09-29/grok-deepfakes-police-justice","primarySourceLabel":"The Bureau of Investigative Journalism, 29 September 2026: Failed by the police, Grok deepfake victims are seeking justice themselves","firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-30T04:13:49.631225+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-09-30T04:13:49.631225+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["grok","xai","x-twitter","deepfakes","non-consensual-intimate-images","ai-generated-images","police","south-wales-police","metropolitan-police","ofcom","uk","depicted-or-impersonated"]},{"id":"2026-yoona-ai-pregnancy-composite-images-sm-criminal-complaint","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'앞서 온라인 커뮤니티와 SNS 등에는 윤아의 얼굴을 무단으로 합성한 사진이 급속도로 퍼졌다.'; '해당 게시물에는 윤아가 배가 부른 모습으로 등장하며, 얼굴은 모자이크 처리된 한 남성이 윤아의 배 위에 손을 얹는 모습이 연출돼 논란이 일었다.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'최근 윤아의 초상을 무단으로 합성한 불법 AI 생성 이미지와 이를 바탕으로 한 허위사실이 무분별하게 제작·유포되고 있는 상황을 추가적으로 확인했다'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'특히 해당 이미지 게시자가 윤아의 실제 SNS 계정을 태그해 사진을 게재하기도 했다'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"AI-generated images synthesising the face of YoonA (Im Yoon-ah) of Girls' Generation, showing her apparently pregnant with a man touching her belly, spread on social media and online communities together with false claims based on them.","causal_attribution":"The images are described by her agency as illegal AI-generated composites; their creators are not identified."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'이를 바탕으로 이미 형사고소를 진행하였고, 어떠한 선처나 합의 없이 강경하게 대응할 예정입니다.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'이를 바탕으로 이미 형사고소를 진행했고, 어떠한 선처나 합의 없이 강경하게 대응할 예정'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"Her agency SM Entertainment said on 28 September 2026 that it had already filed a criminal complaint on the basis of evidence gathered from fan reports and monitoring, and would respond without leniency or settlement.","causal_attribution":"Agency statement; no police action or suspect is reported."}],"effects":[{"label":"fabricated AI images depicting her as pregnant spread online with false claims about her","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.starnewskorea.com/star/2026/09/28/2026092819154494314","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"ko","translation_note":"Read live in Korean on 2026-09-29 (Star News, 28 September 2026); reproduces the full SM Entertainment statement. Researcher translation.","independence_group":"sm-entertainment-statement"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.segye.com/newsView/20260928517569","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"ko","translation_note":"Read live in Korean on 2026-09-29 (Segye Ilbo, 28 September 2026); relays the same statement. Researcher translation.","independence_group":"sm-entertainment-statement"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.spotvnews.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=1010237","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"ko","translation_note":"Read live in Korean on 2026-09-29 (29 September 2026); relays the statement and adds career background. Researcher translation.","independence_group":"sm-entertainment-statement"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["privacy","everyday_life"],"unknowns":["When the images first appeared and on which platforms.","Who made them and with what tool.","The police agency handling the complaint and any investigation outcome."],"geography":{"basis":"YoonA is a Korean singer and actor with a Korean drama and film career (SPOTV News) represented by SM Entertainment, whose statement cites Korean statutes (Star News). Where the images were made or first posted is not stated, and the authority receiving the complaint is not named, so no event or court country is recorded.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":[],"affected_person_countries":["KR"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published under the 2026-09-15 charter as a core case (AI-generated images depicting a real, named public figure in a fabricated pregnancy, circulated with false claims). The account rests on her agency's statement, relayed by several Korean outlets; YoonA is a public figure and the subject of the statement. The images are not reproduced or described beyond the agency's description.","reviewed_on":"2026-09-29"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"SM Entertainment's statement describes the images as illegal AI-generated images synthesising her likeness (Star News; Segye Ilbo). No tool is named and no forensic analysis is reported.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"South Korea: AI-generated images depicting Girls' Generation's YoonA as pregnant spread online with false claims; her agency SM Entertainment says it has already filed a criminal complaint","summary":"SM Entertainment said on 28 September 2026 that illegal AI-generated images synthesising the likeness of YoonA (Im Yoon-ah), singer and actor of Girls' Generation, and false claims built on them had been made and spread on social media and online communities. Korean outlets describe images showing her apparently pregnant with a man placing a hand on her belly (his face blurred, per Star News). The agency said it had collected evidence from fan reports to its KWANGYA 119 channel and monitoring, had already filed a criminal complaint, and would respond without leniency or settlement, warning that making, posting or re-sharing the images could breach Korean defamation, portrait-rights and sexual-crime (false video) provisions.","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"unknown","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2026-09-28","aiSystem":"Unnamed generative-AI image tool used to synthesise her likeness (per SM Entertainment's statement)","aiProduct":"Unidentified image tool","severity":"low","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["reputational_harm"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Fabricated AI images of YoonA as pregnant, with false claims about her, circulated online; her agency filed a criminal complaint (SM Entertainment via Star News and Segye Ilbo).","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"One depicted person, YoonA (SM Entertainment via Star News). The unidentified man in the image is not counted. Exact 1.","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"KR","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"media_coverage","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.starnewskorea.com/star/2026/09/28/2026092819154494314","primarySourceLabel":"Star News, 28 September 2026: 소녀시대 윤아, 악의적 임신 AI 합성 피해..SM \"이미 형사고소\"[전문]","firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-29T03:22:06.71184+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-09-30T01:17:59.374935+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["deepfakes","ai-generated-images","k-pop","girls-generation","sm-entertainment","south-korea","criminal-complaint","depicted-or-impersonated"]}]}