Social media platform X has announced new restrictions on the use of its AI chatbot, Grok, following global criticism over the creation of sexually suggestive content. The move comes after allegations that Grok was being used to generate images that sexualised people or appeared to "undress" them, including women and children.
The company has faced growing pressure from governments and regulators around the world over concerns that the chatbot was producing non-consensual and explicit material. X said the latest decision was taken in response to these concerns and to comply with local laws in different countries.
New rules and geoblocking measures
X announced that in countries where such activity is illegal, the ability to add or modify "bikinis, underwear or similar clothing" on images of people will be geoblocked. This restriction will apply to all users of Grok and X, including both free users and paid subscribers.
In a statement, X's safety team said that they have implemented technical measures to prevent Grok from editing images of people with revealing clothing, and that the rule will be effective for all users. The announcement comes as California's Attorney General has launched an investigation into xAI, Elon Musk's AI company, over allegations that Grok created non-consensual, sexually explicit material in recent weeks.
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Global crackdown and government action
The backlash against Grok has not been limited to the United States. Reports claimed that Grok's so-called 'Spicy Mode' feature was being misused to create sexualised deepfake images of women and children using simple text prompts. Following these allegations, Indonesia became the first country to fully block Grok, with Malaysia taking similar action the next day.
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In India, the government also acted strongly. On Sunday, officials said that following complaints from Indian authorities, X removed thousands of posts and hundreds of user accounts. In Europe, legal pressure is increasing as well. Britain's media regulator Ofcom has launched an investigation to check whether national laws were violated, while France's children's commissioner has also opened a probe into images generated by Grok.
Experts say such strict measures against the misuse of AI tools are likely to increase in the future. The new restrictions on Grok are being seen as a clear sign of tougher regulation ahead.
