Elon Musk’s X will block its AI tool Grok from being used to edit images of real people to make them appear in bikinis and other revealing attire, the platform has announced.
The move came the same day the state of California announced it would investigate Grok as part of a widening scandal alleging the AI tool is behind a spate of nonconsensual sexual images.
“We have implemented technological measures to prevent the Grok account from allowing the editing of images of real people in revealing clothing such as bikinis,” X’s safety team wrote in a post on Wednesday. “This restriction applies to all users, including paid subscribers.”
“Additionally, image creation and the ability to edit images via the Grok account on the X platform are now only available to paid subscribers,” the company added. “This adds an extra layer of protection by helping to ensure that individuals who attempt to abuse the Grok account to violate the law or our policies can be held accountable.”
It is unclear whether these policy changes apply to requests to create nude images of real people.
The California investigation, announced by state Attorney General Rob Bonta on Wednesday, follows worldwide consternation over the alleged Grok phenomenon, which has led countries like Malaysia and Indonesia to block the chatbot in recent days, while others like the UK have launched investigations.
“The avalanche of reports detailing the non-consensual, sexually explicit material that xAI has produced and posted online in recent weeks is shocking,” Bonta said in a statement. “This material, which depicts women and children in nude and sexually explicit situations, has been used to harass people across the internet. I urge xAI to take immediate action to ensure this goes no further.”
Bonta pointed to a Reuters investigation into examples of nonconsensual explicit images being generated across X, where Grok is embedded, as well as the chatbot creating sexualized images of children.
The Paris-based non-profit AI Forensics recently made similar findings, concluding that more than half of all AI-generated images on X are of adults and children with their clothes digitally removed.
“Our analysis of tens of thousands of images generated by Grok quantifies the extent of the abuse,” Paul Bouchaud, a researcher at AI Forensics, said in a statement shared with The Independent.
“Non-consensual sexual imagery of women, sometimes appearing very young, is widespread rather than exceptional, alongside other prohibited content such as Isis and Nazi propaganda – all demonstrating a lack of meaningful safety mechanisms.”
The concerns come as AI chatbots grow increasingly prevalent across daily life and major institutions. This week, the Pentagon announced plans to integrate Grok into its workflows.
The Independent has contacted xAI for comment.
“I not aware of any naked underage images generated by Grok,” Musk wrote on X on Wednesday. “Literally zero.”
“When asked to generate images, it will refuse to produce anything illegal, as the operating principle for Grok is to obey the laws of any given country or state,” he added. “There may be times when adversarial hacking of Grok prompts does something unexpected. If that happens, we fix the bug immediately.”
An “NSFW” mode on Grok had allowed upper body nudity of imaginary adults, “consistent with what can be seen in R-rated movies,” Musk wrote in a separate post, adding that regulations vary by country. It is unclear if that mode will remain with the newly announced changes.
Musk has accused countries directing scrutiny at X, like the UK, of wanting to “suppress free speech.”
Musk was among those who challenged a California law, which was struck down last August, that would’ve required social media platforms to remove user-generated deepfakes of political candidates during election season.
Musk has long clashed with lawmakers in the state and criticized California leaders, and he has relocated many of his business interests to Texas in recent years.
