5 min readNew DelhiJan 16, 2026 10:17 AM IST
First published on: Jan 15, 2026 at 02:30 PM IST
Elon Musk-owned xAI said it has taken steps to prevent its Grok AI chatbot from generating non-consensual sexualised images of real people in response to user requests on X.
“We have implemented technological measures to prevent the Grok account from allowing the editing of images of real people in revealing clothing such as bikinis. This restriction applies to all users, including paid subscribers,” the AI startup said in a post shared via the official X Safety account on Wednesday, January 15.
Only paid subscribers are now allowed to generate and modify images through the Grok account on X. “This adds an extra layer of protection by helping to ensure that individuals who attempt to abuse the Grok account to violate the law or our policies can be held accountable,” xAI said.
Additionally, the company said both paid and free X users are geoblocked from prompting Grok to generate “images of real people in bikinis, underwear, and similar attire” in regions where such content is illegal.
The changes follow more than a week of controversy and widespread criticism against Grok for enabling X users to easily generate non-consensual, sexually explicit images based on real photos of people on the social media platform.
Towards the end of December 2025, several users on X began commenting on images of people – usually women – by tagging the Grok account and asking it to “put her in a bikini” or “take her dress off”. The AI chatbot account, which auto-replies when tagged, complied with these user requests and generated non-consensual sexual images of both celebrities and non-celebrities, including some who appeared to be young children.
This incident not only sparked consumer and political backlash but also led to regulatory investigations into Grok in countries such as India, Malaysia, Indonesia, Ireland, France, Australia, and the United Kingdom as well as by the European Commission. Grok was also temporarily banned in Indonesia and Malaysia following the controversy.
In its initial response to the Grok ‘undressing’ fiasco, Elon Musk and his platforms sought to shift accountability to users by holding them liable for asking Grok to generate illegal content.
“Anyone using or prompting Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content […] We take action against illegal content on X, including Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), by removing it, permanently suspending accounts, and working with local governments and law enforcement as necessary,” X’s safety team said.
In its reply to the Indian government’s stern notice over Grok generating objectionable images of women without consent, X said that it has removed 3,500 pieces of content and blocked 600 accounts.
Earlier on Wednesday, Musk challenged his followers to jailbreak Grok’s image moderation. “Note: With NSFW enabled, Grok is supposed allow upper body nudity of imaginary adult humans (not real ones) consistent with what can be seen in R-rated movies on Apple TV. That is the de facto standard in America. This will vary in other regions according to the laws on a country by country basis,” he wrote in a post.
xAI’s announcement also comes just hours after California Attorney General Rob Bonta said his office was investigating the Silicon Valley-based AI startup over its alleged “large-scale production of deepfake nonconsensual intimate images.” “xAI’s decision to create and host a breeding ground for predators to spread nonconsensual sexually explicit AI deepfakes, including images that digitally undress children, is vile,” California Governor Gavin Newsom wrote in a post on Wednesday.
Notably, the fixes offered on Wednesday appear to be limited to the Grok account on X. However, the Grok app and its official website have also been abused to generate sexual content that is far more graphic than on X, according to a report by Wired.
A few days ago, three US senators had urged Apple and Google to remove X and Grok apps from their respective app stores until the Musk-owned companies make changes to prevent easy creation of nonconsensual explicit images.
“The rapid evolution of generative AI presents challenges across the entire industry. We are actively working with users, our partners, governing bodies and other platforms to address issues more rapidly as they arise,” xAI said on Wednesday.
Grok was letting users generate non-consensual sexualised images. (File photo) 
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