Grok, the AI chatbot on Elon Musk’s social media platform X, says it is now limiting image generation and editing capabilities to paying subscribers, amid a backlash from officials and users after the tool was used to create sexualized images of people without their consent.
“Image generation and editing are currently limited to paying subscribers. You can subscribe to unlock these features,” Grok posted late on Thursday in response to a user, with a link to subscribe to a premium membership.
Criticism over the chatbot has grown in recent weeksas users began to notice Grok’s output contained AI-generated images of women in undressed states, created by user prompts. Users prompted the chatbot to show subjects with their clothes removed and replaced with lingerie or bikinis, or to show subjects covered in liquid or with fearful expressions. The content has sparked a widespread backlash from governmental regulators, watchdog groups and women’s advocates around the world.
U.K. communications regulator Ofcom announced this week it had contacted X following “serious concerns” about a Grok feature that produced undressed images of people and sexualized images of children. The European Commission has ordered X to retain all internal documents relating to Grok until the end of 2026 while it ensures compliance with its laws regarding illegal content.
X did not immediately reply to a request for comment early Friday, but the company has previously said child sexual abuse material would be removed and the company would work with law enforcement and local governments where necessary.
Last week, Musk said anyone using the tool to “make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content.”
In a separate post, Musk added two laughing emojis when he re-shared an image of a toaster with a bikini on it, with the original caption, “Grok can put a bikini on everything.”
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