Social media platform X on Thursday announced that it has barred users from editing images of real people in revealing clothing through its artificial intelligence chatbot, Grok.
The move follows widespread criticism of the tool for generating non-consensual sexually explicit images. According to reports, Grok had enabled users to digitally alter photographs — largely of women — by undressing and sexualising them without consent, producing thousands of such images every hour.
Earlier this month, on January 9, the platform had limited Grok’s image generation and editing features to paying subscribers. However, in a post shared on X, the company said the latest restriction would now apply to all users, including those with paid subscriptions, Scroll.in reported.
This added “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”, the platform added.
X has also said it has started geoblocking the option for users to generate images of real individuals in attire such as bikinis, underwear and similar clothing through the Grok account.
The step comes against the backdrop of mounting regulatory scrutiny from multiple governments. Reports said that California Governor Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta sought clarifications from X owner Elon Musk on Wednesday after he claimed he was not aware of instances involving nude images of minors allegedly generated by Grok.
In the UK, the government had earlier, on January 9, asked media regulator Ofcom to consider using its statutory powers, including the possibility of an effective ban, against the platform over the unlawful images being produced by the chatbot. A day earlier, the European Union directed X to preserve all internal documents related to Grok until the end of the year as it assesses the company’s compliance with its digital regulations.
In India, the government on January 2 instructed X to take down sexually explicit content generated by Grok. The Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology asked the platform to carry out a detailed technical, procedural and governance-level review of the chatbot to ensure it does not produce content involving nudity or sexual material.
In its communication to X’s chief compliance officer in India, the ministry flagged concerns that users were misusing Grok by creating fake accounts to generate and circulate obscene images and videos of women with the intent of defaming them. The government also warned that hosting or publishing obscene or sexually explicit material, including through AI tools, violates bodily privacy and can attract serious penal action.
Amid the backlash, Musk had said on January 3 that users who employ Grok to create illegal content would face the same consequences as those who upload unlawful material directly.