It was the final straw, an AI tool that can turn innocent pictures of competing athletes into nonconsensual, sexualised images. In this new age of social media, there’s a serious line that’s been crossed. Rugby referee Wayne Barnes, who labelled social media abuse towards him and his family as 'vile'. Photograph: Mike Egerton/PAIt is a problem that is untreated and festering and now, with Grok AI, sordid. “The manner in which X have operated over the course of this debacle [Grok AI] is disgraceful.

Source: The Irish Times January 23, 2026 15:02 UTC