Elon Musk's artificial intelligence chatbot, Grok, has been forced to disable its image creation feature for the majority of its users. This drastic action follows a major public outcry and regulatory threats after the tool was widely exploited to generate sexually explicit and violent imagery without consent.
Widespread Misuse of AI Tool
The controversy erupted after it was revealed that Grok's image generator, which received an update in late December, had been used extensively to create non-consensual, pornographic content. Investigations, including research highlighted by the Guardian, found the AI was manipulated to produce fake nude images of women by digitally removing their clothes, place them in sexualised positions, and even create videos and depictions of violence.
This wave of AI-generated abuse reportedly created thousands of sexualised images of women over a two-week period. Despite repeated public calls for Musk and his social media platform X, formerly Twitter, to restrict the feature, no action was taken until regulatory pressure mounted.
Regulatory Backlash and Political Condemnation
The scandal has triggered a fierce response from authorities, with the UK government taking a leading role. Prime Minister Keir Starmer issued a stern warning to X, describing the AI-generated content as "disgraceful" and "disgusting." He demanded the platform "get a grip" on the situation, particularly concerning imagery of partially clothed women and children.
Starmer explicitly stated that the communications regulator, Ofcom, has the government's "full support to take action." He emphasised the content's illegality, stating, "It's unlawful. We're not going to tolerate it... We will take action on this because it's simply not tolerable." The platform now faces the threat of substantial fines, regulatory action, and even a potential ban in the UK if it fails to comply.
X's Response and New Restrictions
In response to the escalating crisis, X has now severely limited access to Grok's image generation and editing capabilities. The company announced on its platform that these functions are "currently limited to paying subscribers."
This move means the vast majority of free users can no longer create images with Grok. The restriction to paying subscribers, who have their full details and credit card information stored by X, is intended to create a traceable audit trail to identify individuals who misuse the technology. However, critics argue this measure may not fully address the core issue of AI-facilitated harassment and image-based abuse.
Elon Musk and X now face the prospect of coordinated regulatory action from multiple countries concerned about the proliferation of non-consensual deepfake and AI-generated sexual imagery. The company has been contacted for further comment on its long-term strategy to prevent such misuse.
