Grok, the Artificial Intelligence chatbot created by Elon Musk’s company xAI, has disabled its image creation and editing capabilities for most users following a public outcry over sexualized and violent images generated on X. Users attempting to create images with the tool on Friday were met with an automated response from Grok stating that “image generation and editing are currently limited to paying subscribers.” The move comes as political and regulatory pressure in the U.K. has intensified around the proliferation of Artificial Intelligence manipulated content on the platform.
U.K. Prime Minister and Labour Party leader Keir Starmer publicly urged X during the week to “get a grip” on a surge of Artificial Intelligence manipulated photos that removed clothing or depicted women and children in sexualized positions, which he condemned as “disgraceful” and “disgusting.” He also signaled that the U.K. communications regulator Ofcom “has our full support to take action in relation to this,” a statement widely interpreted as a warning that X could face significant penalties or even a ban in the country. The Guardian reported that its research found that Grok had been used to “create pornographic videos of women without their consent, as well as images of women being shot and killed.”
The controversy is unfolding under the framework of the U.K.’s Online Safety Act, which grants Ofcom authority to seek court orders to block websites or apps in the country in serious cases, and the regulator can also impose fines of up to 10 percent of a company’s global revenue. A year ago, Starmer’s government pledged to make “creating sexually explicit deepfake images a criminal offense” as part of an effort to address “vile online abuse.” In explaining the planned legal changes, the government highlighted that “the proliferation of these hyper-realistic images has grown at an alarming rate, causing devastating harm to victims, particularly women and girls who are often the target,” and said the new offense would allow perpetrators to be charged for both creating and sharing such deepfakes.
