Elon Musk's AI tool, Grok, has announced the suspension of its image creation capabilities for the majority of users following widespread criticism that the tool was used to generate sexually explicit images and depictions of violence.
Grok Disables Image Generation for Most Users Following Backlash Over Sexualized AI Imagery
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This move comes after Musk was warned about potential fines, regulatory actions, and the possibility of X being banned in the UK. The feature had previously been used for image manipulation, such as removing women's clothing or placing them in sexual poses. Currently, this functionality is restricted to paid subscription users only.
Musk posted on X, "Image generation and editing are now limited to paid subscription users." As a result, the majority of users on the platform can no longer create images with Grok. Because paid users have detailed information and credit card data stored with X, they can potentially be identified if the feature is misused.
Meanwhile, it has been reported that non-paying users are still able to generate sexual images of women via a separate Grok app that is not integrated into X. An investigation by The Guardian revealed that pornographic videos of women and images of women being shot dead were being created without consent.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer suggested on Wednesday that strong measures would be taken against X. He demanded that X "deal with" the flood of AI-generated photos of semi-naked women and children, describing such content as "shameful" and "repulsive."
Starmer suggested that a de facto ban on X should be considered, stating that there is "full support for Ofcom to take action in this matter." Under the UK's Online Safety Act, Ofcom has the authority to block websites and apps via court order in serious cases and can impose fines of up to 10% of a company's global turnover.
Since the update to Grok's image creation feature in late December, thousands of non-consensual sexual images of women have been created over the past two weeks. MP Jess Asato, who is promoting pornography regulation under the Labour government, stated regarding the current situation where paid users can sexualize images of women without consent, "This is digital sexual assault, and xAI should disable the feature entirely."
Source: Grok turns off image generator for most after outcry over sexualised AI imagery（HN 77pt・94コメント） (HN Search (backfill), 2026-01-09)