A few days ago, upcoming Nigerian singer and rapper Bloody Civilian posted a gym picture. There was nothing remotely sexual about it. What followed her post was a reminder that even in the digital world, especially in the digital world, women’s sense of personhood is not protected.
Bloody Civilian’s gym picture was the site of men manipulating and digitally undressing her right down to her lingerie, using Grok, the AI tool powered by X, a social app that was formerly known as Twitter. But this is not the first time that Grok has been used to manipulate women’s images to what I can best describe as online catcalling.
When Grok was newly launched, there were reports of its misuse on Nigerian Twitter. For one, Nigerian men were asking it to manipulate the images of women in and out of Nigeria into sexual positions. The brazenness saw a heightened discourse amongst Nigerian feminists on how the online space barely protects women and how this use of Grok was yet another way to silence women. Some women advised women to block Grok before posting their pictures and yet some others asked why that had to happen.
At the forefront of calling out the misuse of Grok and how it infringes on women’s digital safety is Vivian Nnabue, a social media associate working with Tech Cabal. Ms. Nnabue is also a florist and continually lends her voice to issues pertaining to Nigerian women and girls.
When the first incidents of Grok misuse happened, Ms. Nnabue made a detailed post on LinkedIn calling out men who had asked Grok to manipulate the images of women. The responses to her post revealed the sad truth that women’s safety is often an afterthought. Some asked why she tagged the men’s workplaces and educational opportunities, forgetting that digital misogyny is often a reflection of the fact that an online harasser usually harasses women on the street and in the workplace.
The honest truth is that the use of Grok and other forms of AI to digitally harass women is one that follows a long line of using the technology to violate women. The emergence of deepfake videos and photos that use random non-consenting women’s images to create unwanted realistic pornographic content has been in existence before the emergence of AI. What AI, and in particular AI videos, does now is further act as a tool to advance misogyny using women’s images.
But is this the fault of AI? Or proof that as long as the world is unsafe for women, anything and everything can and will be used to harass women?
Ideally, AI should serve as an assistant or a tool to further simplify certain processes. Grok for example, should exist as one that readily gives context to trending conversations on X. It should never be a tool that has the ability to manipulate images because women will be at the receiving end of digital harassment.
So what then is the solution? What are long-term solutions to the lack of safety women often encounter in online spaces? On a grand scale, there needs to be more legal structures put in place to ensure that anyone who digitally harasses women will face the consequences, not just online but also in terms of their jobs and opportunities. If you’re in forums, Discords, or workplaces that use AI, speak up when you see misogynistic use.
Use your influence to normalize respectful interaction patterns not just for yourself, but for peers who learn by example.
Encourage and amplify Women’s Voices in AI Spaces. If you’re writing prompts involving real people, women especially, always ask: “Would they consent to this portrayal or mention?”.
Use AI critically and responsibly. Treat all AI conversations as potentially logged or reviewable. That mindset discourages requests or behaviors that devalue or endanger others.
Don’t generate or request sexualized, manipulated, or non-consensual content (e.g., “deepfake” images or stories involving real women). Refuse to share or amplify any AI-generated material that sexualizes or targets women, even if it’s “just for fun.”
Report such behavior or content generation if encountered on platforms that host AI tools. Push for data privacy protections that limit how AI systems collect, store, or exploit women’s images and voices.
Real change sticks when more users of social media cease to see women as tools for the objectification and pleasure of men: it begins with forming a collective dislike of misogyny and dismantling hatred towards women. Only when the above happens will there be respect for any legal structures put in place.
