2 hours ago
1
✋ X has said that Grok should no longer generate images of real people in revealing clothing
💰 X is changing its policies regarding the image generation powers of the AI chatbot, restricting it to paying subscribers
👙 xAI has also said it will geoblock the ability of all users to generate revealing images in regions where it’s already illegal
🚨 This move follows accusations from far and wide about the chatbot generating nonconsensual nudity and sexualized images of children at the request of users
X says it’s going to change its policies around the image generation and editing powers of its Grok AI.
It comes following weeks of outcry across the world over the chatbot being accused of generating nonconsensual nudity and sexualized images of children at the request of users.
The @Safety account on X posted an update stating that the company has “implemented technological measures to prevent the Grok account from allowing the editing of images of real people in revealing clothing such as bikinis.”
The new safeguards will apply to all X users, regardless of whether they pay for Grok, with xAI moving all of Grok’s image generation features behind its subscriber paywall. This means non-paying users won’t be able to create images.
In addition, xAI has said it will geoblock “the ability of all users to generate images of real people in bikinis, underwear, and similar attire via the Grok account and in Grok in X” in regions where it’s illegal.
The statement from X follows immediately after the state of California opened an investigation into xAI and Grok over its handling of AI-generated nudity and child exploitation material.
In a statement, the California Attorney General Rob Bonta cited one damning analysis that found that “more than half of the 20,000 images generated by xAI between Christmas and New Year’s depicted people in minimal clothing,” including some that appeared to be children.
The update from X also said that the social media site has “zero tolerance” for child exploitation and that it is removing “high-priority violative content, including Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) and non-consensual nudity” from its platform.
Elon Musk, the owner of X, has said that he was “not aware of any naked underage images generated by Grok”, despite the Attorney General’s cited analysis.
He also added that when the NSFW setting was enabled with Grok, it is “supposed [sic] allow upper body nudity of imaginary adult humans (not real ones) consistent with what can be seen in R-rated movies on Apple TV.” He later added that “this will vary in other regions” based on local laws.
Both Malaysia and Indonesia have moved to block Grok, citing safety concerns and the service’s handling of explicit AI-generated material. UK regulator Ofcom is also investigating xAI and Grok, while officials have said they would back a similar block of the chatbot if necessary.
Up next: Apple’s big Siri AI upgrade will be powered by Google Gemini
Reece Bithrey is a journalist with bylines for Trusted Reviews, Digital Foundry, PC Gamer, TechRadar and more. He also has his own blog, UNTITLED, and graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in International History and Politics in 2023.
