Elon Musk's Grok restricts image-making tool for X users after global backlash over obscene AI images

Following a global row over sexualized images generated by AI chatbot Grok on X, billionaire Elon Musk’s company xAI has restricted the use of the image-making tool on the social media platform. This feature is now only for paid subscribers of x, as reported by news agency Reuters.

The chatbot's image tool had let users on X edit or create sexual photos of women and children without the permission of the people shown in them.

Grok informed users on Friday that the ability to make or change images is now restricted to those with paid accounts.

The AI chatbot was responding to image altering requests with the message: “Image generation and editing are currently limited to paying subscribers. You can subscribe to unlock these features.”

German media minister Wolfram Weimer called this a new way to harass people at a massive scale, saying it is "industrialisation of sexual harassment". While the European Commission labelled the images as against the law.

On Monday, the European Commission stated that the images found on X were both illegal and shocking. Meanwhile, the data watchdog in Britain said it asked the platform to explain how it follows safety laws after worries grew that Grok was making abusive sexual images of women.

On Thursday, Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer warned of unspecified action against X.

“This is disgraceful. It’s disgusting. And it’s not to be tolerated,” Starmer said on Greatest Hits radio. “X has got to get a grip of this.”

He further said media regulator Ofcom “has our full support to take action" and that "all options" are on the table.

“It’s disgusting. X need to get their act together and get this material down. We will take action on this because it’s simply not tolerable.”

Officials in France, India, Malaysia and a Brazilian lawmaker have also called for investigations against the AI chatbot.

Last week, Musk had stated that any person using Grok to make illegal content would be treated the same as if they had uploaded that material themselves.

Grok was launched in 2023. Last summer the company added an image generator feature, Grok Imagine, that included a so-called “spicy mode” that can generate adult content.

The chatbot is free to use for X users, who can ask it questions on the social media platform. They can either tag it in posts they've directly created or in replies to posts from other users.

The separate Grok app, which is not part of the X platform, still lets people create images without a paid membership.