Elon Musk’s xAI startup has imposed limitations on the image generation feature of its Grok chatbot on social media platform X following a backlash over the bot’s use of AI to produce sexualized images. Users were previously able to request Grok on X to manipulate photos of individuals, such as altering clothing and posing them in sexual manners without consent, which Grok then shared on the platform.
As of Friday, Grok informed X users that image generation and editing capabilities were now exclusively accessible to paying subscribers. This adjustment seems to have curbed Grok from automatically generating and posting such images in response to user interactions on the platform. However, users could still create sexualized images using the Grok tab within X and upload them manually. Additionally, the standalone Grok app, operating independently from X, continued to allow image generation without a subscription.
Despite these changes, European authorities remain dissatisfied with the platform. Various governments worldwide have condemned X and initiated investigations into the matter. Thomas Regnier from the European Union’s executive commission emphasized that the introduction of paid subscriptions does not address their core objection to viewing such images, deeming it unacceptable.
The British government shares this sentiment, with spokesperson Geraint Ellis stating that Grok’s modifications do not present a solution. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer had previously threatened action against X and stressed the need for prompt removal of objectionable content from the platform.
France, Malaysia, India, and Brazil are also scrutinizing the platform, while the European Commission has mandated X to retain all internal documents and data related to Grok until the end of 2026 as part of an extensive investigation under the EU’s digital safety regulations.
Furthermore, three Democratic U.S. senators have urged Apple and Google to remove X and Grok from their app stores until policy violations are rectified. Musk’s Grok chatbot, which launched in 2023, allows X users to interact with it on the social media platform. The introduction of the image generator feature last summer, including the controversial “spicy mode” for adult content, has intensified the issue due to the bot’s public visibility and easy dissemination of generated images.
Musk has reiterated that individuals using Grok to produce illicit content will face consequences akin to those for directly uploading such material.