X stops Grok from ‘undressing’ images of women after outcry

Elon Musk’s social media platform X has said that it has taken new steps to stop its AI chatbot, Grok, from editing images of real people in ways that sexualise them after criticism from governments and regulators around the world.

The company said that it will block the creation of images showing real people in “bikinis, underwear, and similar attire” in countries where such content is illegal.

X said that the restrictions will apply to both Grok users and those using image-generation features on the platform.

In a statement, X’s safety team said that it has put technical safeguards in place to stop the Grok account from editing photos of real individuals to make their clothing more revealing, including swimwear. The company added that the rule applies to everyone on the platform, including users with paid subscriptions.

The announcement came only hours after California’s attorney general opened an investigation into Musk’s artificial intelligence company, xAI, which developed Grok.

The probe focuses on the recent creation of what authorities described as non-consensual and sexually explicit material.

Pressure on xAI has grown internationally after Grok’s “Spicy Mode” allowed users to generate sexualised deepfake images of women and children through simple text prompts, such as asking the chatbot to remove clothing or dress someone in a bikini.

Several countries have already taken action. Indonesia blocked access to Grok entirely on Saturday, and Malaysia followed with a similar move a day later. In India, officials said that X removed thousands of posts and hundreds of accounts after receiving complaints about the content.

In the United Kingdom, media regulator Ofcom said on Monday it had launched an investigation into whether X breached local laws by allowing the spread of sexual images. In France, children’s commissioner Sarah El Hairy said on Tuesday she had referred Grok-generated images to prosecutors, the national media regulator Arcom, and the European Union for further action.