Musk’s xAI adds new restrictions on Grok after outcry over sexual images
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Elon Musk’s startup xAI launches social media platform
Users were able to ask Grok directly on X to edit photos of people, including removing items of clothing and placing them in sexualized poses – often without their consent. Grok then published these photos in replies on social media platforms.
Grok told X users on Friday that image creation and editing features are now only available to paying customers.
The move appears to have prevented Grok from creating and automatically publishing such images in response to a user’s post or comment on the social media site.
But
The standalone Grok app, which operates separately from X, was still allowing users to generate images without a subscription.
The change does not satisfy the authorities
TeaEuropean officials are not satisfied with this change. Governments around the world have condemned the platform and launched investigations.
“This does not change our fundamental issue. Paid subscription or non-paid subscription, we do not want to see such images. It is as simple as that,” said Thomas Regnier, an EU executive Commission spokesman. The commission had previously reprimanded Grok for “illegal” and “appalling” behaviour.
The British government was also dissatisfied. Groke’s changes “are not a solution,” said Geraint Ellis, a spokesman for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who threatened unspecified action against Ax on Thursday.
Speaking to Greatest Hits Radio, Starmer said that
France, Malaysia and India are also investigating the platform and a Brazilian MP has called for an investigation. The European Commission has ordered Ax to retain all internal documents and data related to Grok until the end of 2026 as part of a broader investigation under EU digital security law.
A Toronto mom says her 12-year-old son asked Tesla’s Grok which soccer player is better: Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi. She says that after some back-and-forth, the chatbot asked her son, ‘Why don’t you send me some nude photos?’
Meanwhile, three Democratic US senators are asking Apple and Alphabet’s Google to remove X and Grok from their respective app stores.
In a letter published Friday, Senators Ron Wyden of Oregon, Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico and Edward Markey of Massachusetts said Google and Apple should “remove these apps from the App Store until X’s policy violations are resolved.”
Google and Apple did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment. X did not immediately return messages.
Grok’s ‘Spicy Mode’
GrokX is free to use for users, who can ask it questions on social media platforms. They can tag it either directly in the created post or in replies to other users’ posts.
Grok launches in 2023. Last summer, the company added an image generator feature, Grok Imagine, which included a so-called “spicy mode” that could generate adult content.
The problem is exacerbated because Musk presents his chatbot as a faster alternative to rivals with more security measures, and because Grok’s images are publicly visible, and therefore easily spread.
Musk said last week that anyone using Grok to create illegal content would face the same consequences as uploading such content directly.
