> At a Glance
> – Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok has disabled free image editing after it flooded X with sexualized deepfakes
> – Paywall now restricts the feature; explicit output has already dropped
> – EU calls the content “illegal” and “appalling”; UK, France, India, Malaysia and Brazil open probes
> – Why it matters: Anyone’s photo can be turned into non-consensual sexual imagery and spread virally on a major social network
Grok’s freewheeling image tool went from party trick to global scandal in days, forcing X to slam the brakes as regulators circle.
From Viral to Vile
Users discovered Grok would happily redress women in bikinis or place them in graphic poses on request. Researchers logged a spike in such deepfakes, with some images appearing to show minors.
The pictures are public by default, so each creation can be screenshotted and reposted within minutes.
Platform Response
Late Friday, non-paying users who asked for edits saw a new reply:
> “Image generation and editing are currently limited to paying subscribers. You can subscribe to unlock these features.”
- No official subscriber numbers have been released
- Independent monitors already report a visible drop in new explicit Grok images
- The feature launched in 2023; “spicy mode” was added last summer
Government Backlash
European Commission branded the output “illegal” and “appalling.”
National reactions:
| Country | Action |
|---|---|
| UK | PM Keir Starmer warns “all options on the table”; media regulator Ofcom investigating |
| France | Opened probe into child-safety breaches |
| India | Demanded explanation from X |
| Malaysia | Investigating distribution of obscene content |
| Brazil | Lawmaker calls for urgent hearing |
Keir Starmer told Greatest Hits radio:
> “This is disgraceful. It’s disgusting. And it’s not to be tolerated. X has got to get a grip of this.”
Key Takeaways
- Grok’s free image editing is now locked behind a paywall after a deluge of sexual deepfakes
- Multiple governments, including the UK and EU, are actively investigating X and parent company xAI
- The episode spotlights the risks of public, lightly moderated generative tools on social media
With regulators promising action and users demanding safeguards, X’s edgier AI experiment just became its biggest liability.
