Elon Musk's X blocks Grok from creating explicit images after complaints

Curb applies to all users to add extra layer of protection for women, kids

Elon Musk’s X said on Thursday it is disabling the ability for people to use its AI-powered chatbot Grok to create sexualised images of real people, following criticism that the tool was being used to victimise women and children.

 

“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. This restriction applies to all users, including paid subscribers,” the platform’s safety account said on X.

 

X has also restricted the ability to generate and edit images to paid users, saying the move adds an extra layer of protection for women and children by ensuring that individuals who attempt to abuse the Grok account to violate the law or platform policies can be held accountable.

 

Earlier, Grok had limited the generation of objectionable and sexually explicit images only to paid users after women on the platform reported that their photographs were being misused to create such photos.

 

In India, X said it removed nearly 3,500 pieces of obscene content and sexually explicit images generated using Grok’s image-generation capabilities. The platform also identified and barred about 600 users who had misused the AI chatbot to generate sexually explicit images.

 

Grok’s response came in an action-taken report sought by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.

 

In December, following complaints from several women users about misuse of their images, the cyber laws division of the IT ministry had asked X to “remove or disable access, without delay, to all content already generated or disseminated in violation of applicable laws, in strict compliance with the timelines prescribed under the Information Technology (IT) Rules, 2021, without vitiating the evidence in any manner”.

 

The ministry had also directed X to enforce its terms of service and AI usage restrictions, and take “strong deterrent measures”, including suspending or terminating accounts that used Grok to create sexually explicit images of women and children.