Man United launch complain to X over “sickening and irresponsible” posts | OneFootball

Manchester United have followed Liverpool in filing a complaint with the social media platform X regarding several AI-generated posts that allegedly contain offensive and inaccurate claims relating to the Munich Air Disaster and the Hillsborough Disaster.

Vulgar posts

The posts in question were made by X’s artificial intelligence chatbot, Grok. This is after it was prompted by some users to make “vulgar” and “offensive” comments.

These users asked Grok not to hold back.

United’s complaint concerns the 1958 Munich Air Disaster, which resulted in the deaths of 23 people, including eight of the club’s players and three members of staff.

The team was returning from a European Cup match against Red Star Belgrade when their aircraft stopped in Germany to refuel. After two failed take-off attempts, the plane crashed on the third try, claiming the lives of the victims.

Some of the posts have been taken down by X after complaints by United and Liverpool.

Reactions

The Government has labelled the posts “offensive and disappointing”, adding that they go against “British values and decency.”

A statement from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology reads, “These posts are sickening and irresponsible. They go against British values and decency.”

“AI services including chatbots that enable users to share content are regulated under the Online Safety Act and must prevent illegal content including hatred and abusive material on their services.”

“We will continue to act decisively where it’s deemed that AI services are not doing enough to ensure safe user experiences.”

A spokesperson for UK watchdog Ofcom remarked, “Under the Online Safety Act, tech firms must assess the risk of people in the UK encountering illegal content on their platforms, take appropriate steps to reduce the risk of UK users encountering it, and take it down quickly when they become aware of it.”

“Those companies that do not comply can expect to face enforcement action.”

Meanwhile, United return to action on Sunday when they host Aston Villa at Old Trafford.

Featured image Carl Recine via Getty Images

online polls

The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social