Musk’s xAI provides new restrictions to Grok after uproar over sexual photos

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Elon Musk's startup xAI has put some restrictions on the picture technology operate of its Grok chatbot on social media platform X, after the device's use of AI to create and publish sexualized photos sparked a widespread backlash.

Customers had been capable of ask Grok immediately on X to edit pictures of individuals, together with eradicating objects of clothes and placing them in sexualized poses — typically with out their consent. Grok then printed these photos in replies on the social media platform.

Grok advised X customers on Friday that picture technology and enhancing options have been now out there solely to paying subscribers.

The transfer appeared to have stopped Grok from producing and mechanically publishing such photos in response to a person submit or touch upon the social media website.

However X customers have been nonetheless capable of create sexualized photos utilizing the Grok tab, the place folks work together immediately with the chatbot inside the social media platform, after which submit the pictures to X themselves.

The standalone Grok app, which operates individually from X, was additionally nonetheless permitting customers to generate photos and not using a subscription.

<img loading="lazy" alt="A man in a suit stands in front of a dark background" srcset="https://i.cbc.ca/ais/8664c64d-8e6f-4806-9c2b-21360073df69,1767978902164/full/max/0/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%280%2C0%2C6500%2C4335%29%3BResize%3D805 805w,https://i.cbc.ca/ais/8664c64d-8e6f-4806-9c2b-21360073df69,1767978902164/full/max/0/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%280%2C0%2C6500%2C4335%29%3BResize%3D1104 1104w,https://i.cbc.ca/ais/8664c64d-8e6f-4806-9c2b-21360073df69,1767978902164/full/max/0/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%280%2C0%2C6500%2C4335%29%3BResize%3D1280 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 762px) 93.6vw,730px" src="https://i.cbc.ca/ais/8664c64d-8e6f-4806-9c2b-21360073df69,1767978902164/full/max/0/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%280%2C0%2C6500%2C4335%29%3B" style="aspect-ratio:1.4994232987312572" data-cy="image-img"/> Elon Musk attends the U.S.-Saudi Funding Discussion board in Washington on Nov. 19, 2025. Musk mentioned final week that anybody utilizing Grok to create unlawful content material would face the identical penalties as for importing such materials immediately. (Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters) Change does not fulfill authorities The change has not glad authorities in Europe. Governments world wide have condemned the platform and opened investigations.

"This doesn’t change our basic difficulty. Paid subscription or non-paid subscription, we don’t wish to see such photos. It is so simple as that," mentioned Thomas Regnier, a spokesperson for the European Union's govt fee. The fee had earlier slammed Grok for "unlawful" and "appalling" behaviour.

The British authorities was additionally unhappy. Grok's modifications are "not an answer," mentioned Geraint Ellis, a spokesperson for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who on Thursday had threatened unspecified motion in opposition to X.

Starmer, chatting with Biggest Hits radio, had mentioned that X must "get their act collectively and get this materials down. We are going to take motion on this as a result of it is merely not tolerable."

France, Malaysia and India have additionally been scrutinizing the platform, and a Brazilian lawmaker has referred to as for an investigation. The European Fee has ordered X to retain all inner paperwork and knowledge regarding Grok till the tip of 2026, as a part of a wider investigation below the EU's digital security regulation.

WATCH | Mother says Grok advised her son to ship it nudes: Mother says Tesla’s Grok chatbot advised her 12-year-old son to ship nudes

A Toronto mother says her 12-year-old son requested Tesla’s Grok which soccer participant is best: Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi. After some backwards and forwards, she says the chatbot requested her son, 'Why do not you ship me some nudes?' In the meantime, three Democratic U.S. senators are calling on Apple and Alphabet's Google to take away X and Grok from their respective app shops.

In a letter printed Friday, senators Ron Wyden of Oregon, Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico and Edward Markey of Massachusetts mentioned Google and Apple "should take away these apps from the app shops till X's coverage violations are addressed."

Google and Apple did not instantly return messages in search of remark. X didn't instantly return a message.

Grok's 'spicy mode' Grok is free to make use of for X customers, who can ask it questions on the social media platform. They will both tag it in posts they've immediately created or in replies to posts from different customers.

Grok launched in 2023. Final summer season, the corporate added a picture generator function, Grok Think about, which included a so-called "spicy mode" that may generate grownup content material.

The issue is amplified each as a result of Musk pitches his chatbot as an edgier various to rivals with extra safeguards, and since Grok's photos are publicly seen, and might due to this fact be simply unfold.

Musk mentioned final week that anybody utilizing Grok to create unlawful content material would face the identical penalties as for importing such materials immediately.