Global Outcry Prompts Elon Musk-Led X to Disable Grok’s Objectionable Image Generation Feature

New Delhi  -Following widespread global criticism, Elon Musk-owned social media platform X on Thursday disabled the controversial image generation capabilities of its AI chatbot Grok.

Under the revised safeguards, Grok will no longer be able to generate or edit objectionable images of women, irrespective of whether a user holds a premium subscription.

“We have implemented technological measures to prevent the Grok account from allowing the editing of images of real individuals in revealing attire such as bikinis. This restriction applies to all users, including paid subscribers,” X’s safety account said in a post on the platform.

The move comes after xAI faced intense scrutiny from several countries over Grok’s “Spicy Mode,” a feature that enabled users to create sexualised deepfake images of women and children using simple text prompts such as “put her in a bikini” or “remove her clothes.” In response, multiple nations either restricted access to the chatbot or initiated formal investigations.

In India, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) sought an action-taken report from xAI, while the Attorney General of the US state of California launched an investigation into Grok’s developer. Additionally, a coalition of 28 civil society organisations submitted open letters to the CEOs of Apple and Google, urging them to remove Grok and X from their respective app stores amid concerns over the proliferation of sexualised images.

X has now further tightened controls by limiting image generation and editing features exclusively to paid users. Earlier, Grok had restricted the generation of such images only to subscribers, but editing capabilities remained broader.

“Image creation and the ability to edit images via the Grok account on the X platform are now available only to paid subscribers,” the company said, adding that this step introduces “an extra layer of protection” and helps ensure accountability for users who attempt to misuse the tool in violation of laws or platform policies.

The platform also reiterated that it will take swift action to remove high-priority violative content, including Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) and non-consensual nudity, and will act against accounts found breaching its rules.

In December, the IT Ministry had directed X to immediately remove or disable access to all content generated in violation of applicable laws. The ministry also instructed the platform to strictly enforce its terms of service and AI usage guidelines, including taking strong deterrent measures such as suspending or terminating accounts that used Grok to create sexually explicit images of women and children.

According to reports, X has removed nearly 3,500 pieces of obscene and sexually explicit content generated using Grok’s image tools in India and has identified and blocked around 600 users for misusing the AI chatbot.

With inputs from IANS