Grok Was Not an Outlier — New Technologies Are Consistently Used for Violence Against Women

Words by Ella Cancara, Digital Youth Ambassador of Finland

AI-generated abuse is only the latest chapter in a much longer story of technologies weaponised against women.

At the start of 2026 the world watched in horror as Elon Musk's social media company X allowed its AI chatbot Grok to post pictures of real women modified in sexualising and demeaning ways. The phenomenon had started already in late summer 2025, but exploded especially after Ashley St. Claire — with whom Musk has a child — publicly expressed disagreement with his transphobic attitudes.

While St. Claire's abuse was the most visible, thanks to her position as an influencer and Musk's child's mother, many non-famous women were also targeted. Grok is not the only AI that edits pictures of women to depict them in little or no clothing and in degrading situations. Since the explosion of generative AI, numerous nudification apps have appeared on the App Store and Google Play — powered by AI that can turn any uploaded photo into a realistic nude image.

The Grok scandal brought enormous attention to how much demand there is for nudification apps. But the case is not unique. Instead, generative AI is the latest in a long line of technologies created to improve human life that have instead seen widespread use in violence against minorities — especially women and girls.

Technologies used as weapons

Technology	Intended use	How it's weaponised
AI nudification apps	Generative AI image editing	Stripping clothing from any uploaded photo to produce realistic non-consensual imagery
Spy cameras	Personal & home security	Hidden in bathrooms, hotel rooms and Airbnbs to film women without consent
Camera glasses	Hands-free video capture	Used to covertly film women in public, then post footage online en masse

Spy cameras — still mostly sold and branded as personal security tools — have become a common way to film women without consent in workplaces, hotel rooms and Airbnbs. The risk has grown so widespread that products designed to detect hidden cameras have risen sharply in popularity, regularly recommended by women travel influencers. Even women who use spy cameras in their own homes sometimes cover the lens when they are home themselves, in case the camera is hacked.

In recent years, eyeglasses with hidden cameras have emerged alongside spy cameras. What has followed is a surge in content — filmed by men who approach women on the street to ask them out or comment on their appearance — posted online in bulk while the women featured may never know they were filmed.

These technologies do not create harmful behaviour — they scale existing social attitudes, making abuse faster, cheaper, and more anonymous.

What links all these forms of violence is an explicit lack of consent — and even knowledge — that it is happening. Women know there is a risk of being targeted, but even limiting their own behaviour won't prevent victimisation, and if it does occur, they may never find out. This sort of abuse aims to humiliate and violates bodily autonomy in the digital sphere. The more common it becomes, the more women feel the risk of cameras watching their every move — creating a chilling effect that narrows whose voices are heard in society.

A profitable industry

Technological innovation has an important role in the modern world and global economics. The largest companies in the world are technology companies, and most startups are in the technology field. Generative AI and large language models are the fastest-growing communication technology ever, but many investors and economists are still asking: is it profitable? When it comes to nudification apps, the answer is clear:

This demonstrates, better than anything, how quickly new technologies get utilised for violence against women — and how much demand exists for tools that enable it.

Who is most at risk

Like all violence against women, certain groups face disproportionate risk. Famous women and those in public positions often face exponentially more technology-facilitated abuse — in part because there is simply more material available about them. Generative AI can produce more realistic and specific imagery the more original photos it has to work from. This was demonstrated in St. Claire's case, where Grock allegedly edited pictures of her taken at age 14.

This does not mean that non-famous women do not face technology-facilitated violence. Intersectionality also plays a role. Age is a particularly large factor: younger women and girls are more likely to be active in digital spaces and are targeted more because of it.

The more common it gets, the more women feel the risk of cameras watching their every move in public society — ultimately narrowing whose voices are heard.

What can be done

Some argue the problem stems from technologies being released before their safety can be ensured — that just because a product can be built, does not mean it should be, without meaningful safeguards. But while the issue manifests through technology, it is at its core social. Restricting access to tools is only a temporary measure: for those determined to violate and shame women, it simply raises the effort required.

1. Technology safeguards Platforms and app stores must take responsibility for hosting and enabling nudification tools. Meaningful content moderation is a design choice, not an impossibility.
   

2. Legal reform In Finland, cases of online violence are prosecuted under stalking and harassment laws. Specific legislation making technology-facilitated gender-based violence explicitly illegal would allow meaningful accountability — at least where perpetrator and victim share a jurisdiction.
   

3. Digital education Children and young people need to be taught about consent in digital spaces as a core part of digital literacy — not as an afterthought.
   

4. Cultural shift Regulation and platform accountability must be accompanied by a broader challenge to the normalisation of exploiting women's bodies in digital spaces.
   

Because gender-based technology-facilitated violence is a complex issue with many layers and forms, solutions must match that complexity. Addressing it requires not only better regulation and platform accountability, but a cultural shift that challenges the normalisation of exploiting women's bodies online.